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Amazing Innovations in Eyewear!

Filed Under Fun with Eyewear 


In a previous article we explored the invention of eyewear, both for vision correction and protection from the sun. In this article we explore the more recent innovations in spectacles, from the obscure to the expensive to the extreme.

NASA scientists paired up with manufacturers and designers in the US to create lenses that were more resistant to UV rays and blocked a more significant amount of light without reducing visibility. This, obviously, is necessary as NASAs scientists are much more exposed to the sun’s dangerous rays when not protected by the earth’s reflective atmosphere. Because of the lack of gravity at intervals in the space stations, these frames needed to be sturdy and locked in place, yet not reduce peripheral vision. After some time, scientists and opticians emerged from their respective testing centers satisfied with their new trans-universal glasses. These glasses can be in normal to extreme lighting, and adjust accordingly. The frames are titanium (lightweight) and strong. Cheaper renditions of the NASA sponsored design were adapted to make the indoor-outdoor lenses that are now on the open market.

Innovations in technology have meant innovations in media-related optometry. When I was a child I went to a 3D movie where they passed out cardboard glasses with one blue lens and one red lens. The film was slightly blurry, but the intended effect was obvious—just not fully developed. I left the theatre amused but with a pounding headache. Recently I saw the film Beowulf in 3D at a US IMAX center. They handed me a pair of sturdy plastic framed with thick grey lenses. I watched the film for several moments without the glasses, an incomprehensible display of colored lines danced across the screen, but made no image. Once I donned the glasses, however, I instantly recoiled from the opening credits as they rushed past me. The newer 3D glasses were amazing. Such simple innovations made a world of difference, and made Beowulf in 3D one of my favorite viewing experiences!

Goggles, something that used to reek of nerdiness, have become more and more fashionable in recent years. In high school I was happy to risk acid in my eyes to avoid wearing the hideous safety goggles. Now sharp and clear goggles exist that circle and protect the eye without hindering peripheral vision or making you look like a fashion reject. Similarly, my latest pair of ski goggles were a pleasant shade of blue, which enhanced the tint on the slopes and made it feel like a truly alpine experience. They did not fog up, and were held in place with fashionable banding rather than the former military-issue style of protective gear.

Frames have undergone extensive design innovations. From alterations in frame layout and shape, to the addition of jewels and other adornments imbedded or dangling from the frames, glasses now have a wide-array of fashion possibilities. One of the more functional changes, however, has been the invention of folding glasses, where the frame bends at the nose and collapses into a rather small bundle of glass and metal for easy carrying. This is most useful for the farsighted folks who use their glasses only when reading. innovations in eyewear

As recently as a few years ago, lenses with technological features appeared on the open market. First popularized on action-packed spy and CIA films, glasses with video screens in the lenses have sense become a reality. Additionally, glasses (especially sports wear glasses and goggles) have not been fitted with speakers so music from your Ipod or other such devices can be combined with your glasses. Highly fashionable glasses are now fitted to support your phone’s Bluetooth configuration.

And, winners of most extreme innovation in eyewear goes to a pair of American body modification artists who offer the exciting (and one would assume painful) invention of piercings on the bridge of the nose from which to hang lenses. These piercings are studded with metal nuts through which lenses can be bolted. Though innovative and creative, I do not expect this to turn mainstream simply because of how ridiculous one looks when the lenses are removed (for sleeping, I imagine).

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