If you are in your forties or beyond, you are bound to face complications in reading books or newspapers over time, more so if you have been wearing specs all your life. Especially, because if you have had a pair of glasses to see farsighted objects all your life then it becomes difficult to have another pair to see the close objects and to juggle both the pairs. Bifocal reading glasses have been the best solution to this problem.
Bifocals have been the brainchild of the great American Statesman, Benjamin Franklin. His idea caused a revolution in the history of spectacles. According to the story, Benjamin Franklin possessed two separate pair of glasses. One for farsightedness, that is to see distant objects and things and the other for reading.
Since he was a busy person he soon got tired of wearing the different pair of glasses as per requirements. And hence he came up with the revolutionary idea of cutting the two glasses into half and then joining the half to produce a combination of the two glasses that could be worn as one. Hence one single frame had one single lens. This was the Bifocals.
Made of two parts, the bifocal lenses were divided into two parts by a distinct border line the upper part for distant objects and the lower part for reading. This way of division had a purpose behind it. And that is people generally read by holding their books down while we look up at a distance to see distant objects. These lenses are used even these days and are named after Franklin, called ‘’Franklin Lenses ‘’ or ‘’Executive lenses’’ (E lenses).These days bifocals come in special ‘’progressive lenses’’ where the border line is made invisible.
The significant thing to note about these bifocal lenses is that they can be used for reading. In such cases the upper part of the lens does not have any power. There are four types of bifocal lenses where the reading lens comes within the full lens. And these four types of lenses are:
• One with the round part at the lower side of the lens.
• Two in a semi circle shape or that of a half moon or slanted D shape.
• A ‘’ribbon segment’’which is a small rectangular part in the lower half.
• The Franklin lenses.
Bifocals are indeed one of the most useful things and the best thing about them is that they get better with practice. On using regularly, you get used to using the upper part of the lens for looking at far objects and lower part for reading and then after a few months you will be instinctive in your use of it. Whatever type of reading glass you use, just remember that they work on the same principle of lower half of lens being used for reading purpose and upper half of lens used for looking at distant objects.
The best thing about bifocal reading glasses is that they help in getting rid of two pairs of glasses for two kinds of visual problems. You can always take your old pair of glasses to the optician and get him to cut the lenses into half in order to make you, your very own pair of Franklin lenses.
Author Resource:
Suzanne Hughes is an eyewear style consultant specializing in http://www.readinstyle.com/catalog/DesignerReadingGlasses.aspx reading glasses online. For more information about eyeglasses, vision, or great styles such as http://www.readinstyle.com/catalog/Scojo.aspx Scojo reading visit her online
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