Tired of Shifting Your Glasses So You Can See Distant and Near Objects?

During a time when one could only see either what was far away from him or what was near to him, depending on the type of glasses they had, Benjamin Franklin rose above his fellow men in an attempt to make vision clearer for everyone. His goal: to create the first ever bifocal lens.

Benjamin Franklin had two pairs of glasses, one for reading and one for seeing objects that were far away. He constantly had to shift between each pair in order to distinguish things that were either far away or right next to him, and found this quite “troublesome” (Fleishman). Ben decided that a change needed to be made that would not only make it easier for him to see, but a change that would allow him to see both objects that were far away and close to him at the same time, instead of having to change between glasses. His conclusion: To create “double spectacles, which served for distant objects as well as near ones” (Fleishman).

However, it should be noted that Benjamin Franklin was not the inventor of the bifocal lens, but instead the one who “came up with the idea by himself” (Fleishman). This is evidenced in a letter that Mr. H. Sykes sent to him addressing the fact that he tried to make Benjamin a pair of glasses he desired but that, in the process of making them, they “broke and spoilt three glasses” (Fleishman). However, as I previously stated, it was Benjamin Franklin who came up with the idea of the bifocal lens.

In a letter addressed to George Whatley, who was one of Franklin’s friends, he addresses how the use of his bifocal spectacles have allowed him to “see the food he was eating and watch the facial expressions of those seated at the table with him” (United States). He also included a diagram that showed the construction of his bifocal lens (Franklin).

Franklin wrote this letter himself, to his friend in 1785 because he was being challenged on the basis that the bifocal lens that he designed was only suitable for his ailment. The first part of his letter addresses the fact that Peter Dollond, the man challenging Franklin’s claim to the use of his double spectacles, does not understand the “construction” (Franklin) of the lenses he had designed and then included a diagram explaining how the lenses are constructed. On the right lens, the upper half is divided into the “Least convex for distant objects” and the lower half is labeled “Most convex for reading” (Fleishman). The left lens follows the same pattern, again labeling the upper portion “Least convex” and the lower part “Most convex” (Fleishman). The second half of his letter goes into detail on how the bifocal glasses have improved his own life. Going into detail on how his use of the glasses helped him when he was in France, allowing him to “understand French better by the help of my spectacles” (Franklin).

There was some validity to what Dollond had said though; the spectacles that Franklin designed are not for all people. I, myself, am farsighted but I can see objects in front of me and objects that are slightly far away just fine. This results in not having to wear my glasses at all times, allowing me to see objects up close without the help of glasses and having to put them on when I want to see things farther in the distance. If I could neither see what was close to me nor what was far away I would have a greater need for the bifocal glasses.

It was through these events that lead to the eventual creation and spreading of the bifocal lens. Even today the effects of Franklin’s concept of the bifocal lens can be felt. One of my friends wears bifocal lenses and instead of having to constantly shift between her glasses for seeing and taking them off to read, which is what she would have to do for a normal pair of glasses, she instead can look either straight ahead to view things that are far away and shift her eyes down to read a book in front of her.



Works Cited
Fleishman M.D., David A. “Benjamin Franklin-Father of the Bifocal.” 26 Nov. 2006. Antique Spectacles and Other Vision Aids. 11 Feb. 2009. <http://www.antiquespectacles.com/topics/franklin/ franklin.htm>.

Franklin, Benjamin. Benjamin Franklin to Goerge Whatley (ca. 1709-1791), May 23, 1785. <http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/images/bf0036s.jpg>.

United States. Librbary of Congress. Franklin’s Design for Bifocals. July 2006. 11 Feb. 2009. <http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/ treasures/franklin-scientist.html>.