Interesting facts about eyes and glasses

Summary in 30 seconds:

In this article, we’ll discover and dive deeper into facts about the invention of glasses, such as eyeglasses and bifocal lenses, as well as the human eye.

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• Fact 1
• Fact 2
• Fact 3
• Fact 4
• Fact 5
• Fact 6
• Fact 7
• Fact 8

Fact 1 – Salvino D’Armate invents eyeglasses

Somewhere around 1284 a new invention was created to by Salvino D’armate who invented glasses to help people see better. That invention was known as eyeglasses. Salvino D’Armate, a native of Florence, Italy, is credited with inventing the first wearable pair of glasses. These frames had no temples and were perched atop the wearer’s nose and were often held in place with the hand to keep the glasses stable.

Temples were not created until after the 1600’s. These glasses had convex lenses that were used to correct hyperopia (farsightedness) and could be used to correct presbyopia which often came with age. Glasses for myopia weren’t developed until after the 1600’s.

So, why is this fact interesting?

Many people can thank Salvino D’Armate, who invented glasses, for having the ability to see properly with thanks to prescription glasses. There are many interesting facts that surround eyeglasses and the eyes. We now present you with some other interesting pieces of information that you may not know about the eyes and glasses online. These eye facts may not come in handy in real life, but if you’re ever playing a game where bar trivia useful – these facts might come in handy.

Fact 2 – Eagle Eye vs Human Eye

An eagle has better eyes than you. It can spot a rabbit from 1,760 yards away! That beats humans by a long shot. It takes a person, with glasses, at least 550 yards to see the very same rabbit.

Fact 3 – Bat Eye vs Human Eye

Bats are not blind. They can see but they often use sound waves to detect where they should be going. They basically have their own sonar system that works in conjunction with their eyes. They make high-pitched noises and listen for the echoes that are created when the sound of them screeching bounces off an object.

Fact 4 – Your Brain and Eyes

The most complex organs in your body are your brain and your eyes. The external muscles that move your eyes are some of the strongest muscles in the body when you consider the job they have to do. Your eyes can also process over 36,000 pieces of information every hour.

Fact 5 – Benjamin Franklin Invents Bifocals

American scientist, Benjamin Franklin, invented bifocals in 1784. Why? Because he suffered from both myopia and presbyopia. He was trying to avoid switching his glasses all the time. However, you have British astronomer, George Airy, to thank for correcting your astigmatism. He created the first astigmatism correcting lens in 1824. Both progressive lenses and astigmatism correcting lenses are available when you purchase glasses online. My, how far we’ve come!

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Fact 6 – Sir Charles Wheatstone Creates 3-D Imaging

Did you see Avatar in 3-D? Well, if you liked it. You have Sir Charles Wheatstone to thank for that since he created 3-D imaging in 1838.

Fact 7 – Eyeball Weight

Your eyeball weighs around 1 ounce. Think of all the work it does!

Fact 8 – Geeks and Glasses

People who wore eyeglasses used to be known as geeks and dweebs – which set an unflattering cast over eyeglass frames. Today, many eyeglass retailers have sections of glasses dedicated to “geek chic.”

Most popular eyeglasses shapes.

Oversized Aviator Wayfarer Rimless Cat Eye Round