Glasses
Glasses or spectaclesframes bearing lenses worn beforeeyes. Modern glassestypically supported by pads onbridge ofnoseby arms placed overears. Historical typesspectacles includepince nez, monocle,lorgnette.
Spectaclesalso called eyeglassesNorth American English, glassesNorth AmericaBritain,(rarely) frames or lenses. "Spectacles"often shortenedspecs. Also see usagewordseyepieces formore detailed examination ofdifferent usagesthese words.
Spectacles were originally made from glass, but manynow made from plastic due todangerbreakage andgreater weightthicknessglass lenses. Glass lenses, onother hand,much less susceptiblescratching.
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2 Glasses as fashion accessory 3 Other typesglasses 4 Quotations 5 See also |
Conditions glassesusedcorrect
Spectacles fittedcorrective lenses arevery common meanscorrecting focus problems such as myopia (nearsightedness, short-sightedness),hypermetropia (farsightedness, long-sightedness). Myopic people cannot focus atdistances; peoplehypermetropia cannot focus at close distances. Astigmatismmismatched focusing horizontallyvertically. As people agedevelop presbyopia which limits their abilityfocus on nearby objects. Nonethese conditionsconsidereddisease.
Spectacles can be very simple. Magnifying lensesreading thatusedtreat mild hypermetropiapresbyopia can be bought offshelf, but most spectaclesmade toparticular prescription, based on degreemyopia or hypermetropia combinedastigmatism. Lenses can be groundspecific eyes, butmost cases standard off-the-shelf prescriptions suffice, but require custom-fittingparticular frames.
As people age, their abilityfocuslessenedmany comeneed multiple-focus lenses, bifocal or even trifocalcover allsituationswhichuse their sight.
Traditional multifocal lenses have two or three distinct viewing areas, each requiringconscious effortrefocusing. These were originally separate lenses, as invented by Benjamin Franklin, an early eyeglass-wearing celebrity.
Some modern multifocal lenses givesmooth transition between these lenses, unnoticeable by most wearers. Other spectacles wearers sometimes have lenses specifically intendedusecomputer monitors atfixed distance. Onother hand, many people simply have several pairsspectacles, oneeach task or distance.
Glasses as fashion accessory
Spectaclesoften regarded as unattractive,many people preferwear contact lensesthat reason. Contact lenses also provide much improved peripheral vision.
Onother hand, many peopleattractedpeople who wear spectacles,spectaclesavailable invery wide rangestyles, materials,even designer labels.
Spectacles can bemajor partpersonal expression, fromextravaganceElton JohnDame Edna Everage, from Groucho MarxJohn Denver allway tovaried professional personaseyeglass-wearing knowledge workers.
For some celebrities, spectacles form part ofidentity. American Sen. Barry Goldwater continuedwear lensless horn-rimmed spectacles after being fittedcontact lenses because he was not recognizable without his trademark spectacles. Drew Carey continuedwear glasses forsame reason after getting corrective laser eye surgery. British comedic actor Eric Sykes, who became profoundly deaf as an adult, wears spectacles that contain no lenses, butin factbone-conducting hearing aid.
In popular culture, spectacles were alldisguise SupermanWonder Woman neededhideplain view as alter egos, Clark KentDiana Prince, respectively.
Halo effect refers tostereotype thatwearersspectaclesintelligent or, especiallyteen culture, even geeks. Thisconception rootedthatfirst peoplewear spectacles were those who didlotreadingan era when most people were illiterate.
Other typesglasses
Other kindsspectacles include tinted protective lenses, ranging from sunglasses, which protecteye from glareultraviolet radiation,specialized units that protect against extreme brightness andusedweldingviewing eclipses.
Prescription sunglasses (term used by most laymen) or sun-spectacles (the term used by some optometrists), which combine protection from bright lightvision correction, have become fairly common. Some spectacles have photo-sensitive lenses that darken aslight grows brighter. Theysunglassesindoor spectaclesone.
Therealso safety spectacles whichmaderigid plasticdesignedprotecteyes from flying objects. Somethese may haveprescription as well.
Spectacles fitteddifferently coloured or polarized lenses can be usedview three-dimensional images.
Quotations
- "The optimist looks atworld through rose-tinted spectacles." -- Old saying
- "Men seldom make passes / At girls who wear glasses" -- poem by Dorothy Parker
- "Four Eyes", song by bespectacled John Sebastian
See also
