Learn About The Bifocal Lens By Benjamin Franklin

Benjamin Franklin, aside from being one of the founding fathers of America, was a publisher, writer, statesman, musician, and scientist. He was also an inventor. And a pretty good one at that. Among his many inventions (none of which were patented) are the Armonica, a musical device comprised of glass bowls; the Franklin Stove, a heater moreso than a cooking stove; and the lightning rod for which his kite experiment is most well-known. In addition to all these and many others, the bifocal lens was invented by Benjamin Franklin.

In 1784, at the age of 79, Benjamin Franklin conceived of the idea when he became tired of continuously having to swop out one pair of his eyeglasses for another in order to compensate for his varying eyesight deficiencies. Purportedly, he had two lenses grafted into a single frame, the lower one for near vision (because, he reasoned, people usually look down when looking at close by objects) and the top half for distance viewing. The idea would be refined and improved upon in the next two centuries and by today, we even have bifocal contact lenses.

Although credited with their invention, evidence, though not enough to refute the claim, exists to suggest that perhaps Benjamin Franklin was not the first to conceive of the idea. By placing an order for such spectacles it implies that the London opticians needed to already have the knowledge necessary to be familiar with them. Nevertheless, he is certainly one of the first people to wear them and by inference have become associated with him. Surprising then that like today's most famous italian fashion houses, we don't have bifocals by Benjamin Franklin lining the store shelves!

Benjamin Franklin's bifocal lenses (or whoever conceived of them), refined as they have been over the years are available in various designs, forms and brands through the links on the right-side of this article. And though we may not have invented bifocals, we can certainly show you were to get what you're looking for quickly and easily.

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