Glasses: Difference between revisions

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Spectacles (the correct term) or glasses (also eyeglasses in North American English) are lenses worn in a frame before the eyes. Modern glasses are typically supported by pads on the bridge of the nose and by arms placed over the ears. Historical types of glasses include the pince nez, monocle, and lorgnette.

Spectacles were originally made from glass, but many are now made from plastic due to the danger of breakage and the greater weight and thickness of glass lenses. Glass lenses, on the other hand, are much less prone to scratching.

Spectacles fitted with corrective lenses are a very common means of correcting focus problems such as myopia (commonly called nearsightedness or short-sightedness), and hyperopia (commonly called farsightedness or long-sightedness). Myopic people cannot focus at long distances; people with hyperopia cannot focus at close distances. Astigmatism is mismatched focussing horizontally and vertically. Presbyopia is limited flexibility in focussing. None of these conditions are diseases.

Spectacles can be very simple. Magnifying lenses for reading that are used to treat mild hyperopia and presbyopia that can be bought off the shelf, but most spectacles are made to a particular prescription, based on degree of myopia or hyperopia combined with astigmatism. Lenses can be ground to specific eyes, but in most cases standard off-the-shelf prescriptions suffice, but require custom-fitting to particular frames.

As people age, their ability to focus is lessened and many come to need multiple-focus lenses, bifocal or even trifocal to cover all the situations in which they use their sight.

Traditional multifocal lenses have two or three distinct viewing areas, each requiring a conscious effort of refocusing. These were originally separate lenses, as invented by Benjamin Franklin, an early eyeglass-wearing celebrity.

Some modern multifocal lenses give a smooth transition between these lenses, unnoticeable by most wearers. Other spectacles wearers sometimes have lenses specifically intended for use with computer monitors at a fixed distance. On the other hand, many people simply have several pairs of spectacles, one for each task or distance.

Spectacles are often regarded as unattractive (see Dorothy Parker), and many people prefer to wear contact lenses for that reason. Contact lenses also provide much improved peripheral vision.

On the other hand, many people are attracted to people who wear spectacles, and spectacles are available in a very wide range of styles, materials, and even designer labels.

Spectacles can be a major part of personal expression, from the extravagance of Elton John and Dame Edna Everage, from Groucho Marx to John Denver all the way to the varied professional personas of eyeglass-wearing knowledge workers.

For some celebrities, spectacles form part of the identity. American Sen. Barry Goldwater continued to wear lensless horn-rimmed spectacles after being fitted with contact lenses because he was not recognizable without his trademark spectacles. British comedic actor Eric Sykes, who became profoundly deaf as an adult, wears spectacles that contain no lenses, but are in fact a bone-conducting hearing aid.

In popular culture, spectacles were all the disguise Superman and Wonder Woman needed to hide in plain view as alter egos, Clark Kent and Diana Prince, respectively.

Halo effect refers to the stereotype that the wearers of spectacles are intelligent or, especially in teen culture, even geeks. This is conception rooted in that the first people to wear spectacles were those who did a lot of reading in an era when most people were illiterate.

Other kinds of spectacles include tinted protective lenses, ranging from sunspectacles, which protect the eye from glare and ultraviolet radiation, to specialized units that protect against extreme brightness and are used for welding and viewing eclipses.

Prescription sunspectacles, which combine protection from bright light with vision correction, have become fairly common. Some spectacles have photo-sensitive lenses that darken as the light grows brighter. They are sunspectacles and indoor spectacles in one.

There are also safety spectacles which are made of rigid plastic and designed to protect the eyes from flying objects. Some of these may have a prescription as well.

Spectacles fitted with differently coloured or polarized lenses can be used to view three-dimensional images.

Quotations

"The optimist looks at the world through rose-tinted spectacles." -- Old saying
"Four Eyes", song by bespectacled John Sebastian

When you're a kid that sees through plastic

With a harness of elastic

So the girls all think you're icky

And the boys all think you're queer

Revision as of 09:13, 15 December 2003 editDaniel Quinlan (talk \| contribs)Edit filter managers, Administrators17,437 edits revert - last change was not NPOV← Previous edit		Revision as of 09:15, 15 December 2003 edit undo207.44.154.35 (talk) silly having an article called "spetacles" but consistently refering to "glasses"Next edit →
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	'''~~Glasses~~''' or '''~~spectacles~~''' (also '''eyeglasses''' in ]) are ]es worn in a frame before the ]s. Modern glasses are typically supported by pads on the bridge of the ] and by arms placed over the ]s. Historical types of glasses include the ], ], and ].		'''Spectacles''' (the correct term) or '''glasses''' (also '''eyeglasses''' in ]) are ]es worn in a frame before the ]s. Modern glasses are typically supported by pads on the bridge of the ] and by arms placed over the ]s. Historical types of glasses include the ], ], and ].

	~~Glasses~~ were originally made from ], but many are now made from ] due to the danger of breakage and the greater weight and thickness of glass lenses. Glass lenses, on the other hand, are much less prone to scratching.		Spectacles were originally made from ], but many are now made from ] due to the danger of breakage and the greater weight and thickness of glass lenses. Glass lenses, on the other hand, are much less prone to scratching.

	~~Glasses~~ fitted with ]es are a very common means of correcting ] problems such as ] (commonly called ''nearsightedness'' or ''short-sightedness''), and ] (commonly called ''farsightedness'' or ''long-sightedness''). Myopic people cannot focus at long distances; people with hyperopia cannot focus at close distances. ] is mismatched focussing horizontally and vertically. ] is limited flexibility in focussing. None of these conditions are diseases.		Spectacles fitted with ]es are a very common means of correcting ] problems such as ] (commonly called ''nearsightedness'' or ''short-sightedness''), and ] (commonly called ''farsightedness'' or ''long-sightedness''). Myopic people cannot focus at long distances; people with hyperopia cannot focus at close distances. ] is mismatched focussing horizontally and vertically. ] is limited flexibility in focussing. None of these conditions are diseases.

	~~Glasses~~ can be very simple. Magnifying lenses for reading that are used to treat mild hyperopia and presbyopia that can be bought off the shelf, but most ~~glasses~~ are made to a particular prescription, based on degree of myopia or hyperopia combined with astigmatism. Lenses can be ground to specific eyes, but in most cases standard off-the-shelf prescriptions suffice, but require custom-fitting to particular frames.		Spectacles can be very simple. Magnifying lenses for reading that are used to treat mild hyperopia and presbyopia that can be bought off the shelf, but most spectacles are made to a particular prescription, based on degree of myopia or hyperopia combined with astigmatism. Lenses can be ground to specific eyes, but in most cases standard off-the-shelf prescriptions suffice, but require custom-fitting to particular frames.

	As people age, their ability to focus is lessened and many come to need multiple-focus lenses, ] or even ] to cover all the situations in which they use their sight.		As people age, their ability to focus is lessened and many come to need multiple-focus lenses, ] or even ] to cover all the situations in which they use their sight.
Line 15:		Line 15:
	Traditional multifocal lenses have two or three distinct viewing areas, each requiring a conscious effort of refocusing. These were originally separate lenses, as invented by ], an early eyeglass-wearing celebrity.		Traditional multifocal lenses have two or three distinct viewing areas, each requiring a conscious effort of refocusing. These were originally separate lenses, as invented by ], an early eyeglass-wearing celebrity.

	Some modern multifocal lenses give a smooth transition between these lenses, unnoticeable by most wearers. Other ~~glasses~~ wearers sometimes have lenses specifically intended for use with computer monitors at a fixed distance. On the other hand, many people simply have several pairs of ~~glasses~~, one for each task or distance.		Some modern multifocal lenses give a smooth transition between these lenses, unnoticeable by most wearers. Other spectacles wearers sometimes have lenses specifically intended for use with computer monitors at a fixed distance. On the other hand, many people simply have several pairs of spectacles, one for each task or distance.

	~~Glasses~~ are often regarded as unattractive (see ]), and many people prefer to wear ]es for that reason. Contact lenses also provide much improved ].		Spectacles are often regarded as unattractive (see ]), and many people prefer to wear ]es for that reason. Contact lenses also provide much improved ].

	On the other hand, many people are attracted to people who wear ~~glasses~~, and ~~glasses~~ are available in a very wide range of styles, materials, and even designer labels.		On the other hand, many people are attracted to people who wear spectacles, and spectacles are available in a very wide range of styles, materials, and even designer labels.

	~~Glasses~~ can be a major part of personal expression, from the extravagance of ] and Dame ], from ] to ] all the way to the varied professional personas of eyeglass-wearing ]s.		Spectacles can be a major part of personal expression, from the extravagance of ] and Dame ], from ] to ] all the way to the varied professional personas of eyeglass-wearing ]s.

	For some celebrities, ~~glasses~~ form part of the identity. ] Sen. ] continued to wear lensless horn-rimmed ~~glasses~~ after being fitted with contact lenses because he was not recognizable without his trademark ~~glasses~~. ] comedic actor ], who became profoundly ] as an adult, wears ~~glasses~~ that contain no lenses, but are in fact a bone-conducting ].		For some celebrities, spectacles form part of the identity. ] Sen. ] continued to wear lensless horn-rimmed spectacles after being fitted with contact lenses because he was not recognizable without his trademark spectacles. ] comedic actor ], who became profoundly ] as an adult, wears spectacles that contain no lenses, but are in fact a bone-conducting ].

	In ], ~~glasses~~ were all the disguise ] and ] needed to hide in plain view as ]s, ] and ], respectively.		In ], spectacles were all the disguise ] and ] needed to hide in plain view as ]s, ] and ], respectively.

	] refers to the ] that the wearers of ~~glasses~~ are ] or, especially in ] culture, even ]s. This is conception rooted in that the first people to wear ~~glasses~~ were those who did a lot of reading in an era when most people were ].		] refers to the ] that the wearers of spectacles are ] or, especially in ] culture, even ]s. This is conception rooted in that the first people to wear spectacles were those who did a lot of reading in an era when most people were ].

	Other kinds of ~~glasses~~ include tinted protective lenses, ranging from ], which protect the eye from glare and ], to specialized units that protect against extreme brightness and are used for ] and viewing ]s.		Other kinds of spectacles include tinted protective lenses, ranging from ], which protect the eye from glare and ], to specialized units that protect against extreme brightness and are used for ] and viewing ]s.

	Prescription ~~sunglasses~~, which combine protection from bright light with vision correction, have become fairly common. Some ~~glasses~~ have photo-sensitive lenses that darken as the light grows brighter. They are ~~sunglasses~~ and indoor ~~glasses~~ in one.		Prescription sunspectacles, which combine protection from bright light with vision correction, have become fairly common. Some spectacles have photo-sensitive lenses that darken as the light grows brighter. They are sunspectacles and indoor spectacles in one.

	There are also safety ~~glasses~~ which are made of rigid plastic and designed to protect the eyes from flying objects. Some of these may have a prescription as well.		There are also safety spectacles which are made of rigid plastic and designed to protect the eyes from flying objects. Some of these may have a prescription as well.

	~~Glasses~~ fitted with differently coloured or polarized lenses can be used to view three-dimensional images.		Spectacles fitted with differently coloured or polarized lenses can be used to view three-dimensional images.

	==Quotations==		==Quotations==