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Glasses

technology Maturity 7-9 Next article →

Glasses are tools used to help people see the world more clearly.

Ramon nomar
Ramon nomar

They consist of clear or tinted lenses held in a frame. This frame uses a bridge to sit on the nose. It also has hinged arms called temples that rest over the ears.

Woman at Lover's Bridge Tanjung Sepat (cropped)
Woman at Lover's Bridge Tanjung Sepat (cropped)

People use them to correct vision or for protection. Some people even wear them just for fashion.

Corrective lenses work by bending light as it enters the eye.

Refraction through glasses 090306
Refraction through glasses 090306

This process helps the image focus correctly on the retina. Lenses can fix many different vision needs. For example, they help with nearsightedness or farsightedness. Some lenses are called bifocals because they have two different parts for focus. Progressive lenses use a smooth change to help the eye focus at different distances.

Microfiber cloth
Microfiber cloth

Safety glasses are a special kind of protective equipment. They act like a shield for the eyes.

SafetyGlassesShield
SafetyGlassesShield

Workers in labs or factories wear them to block flying debris. Some safety glasses even cover the sides of the eyes. Dentists and surgeons in Canada use them to protect against infection. There are even special dark glasses for people doing welding work.

SafetyGlassesShield
SafetyGlassesShield

Sunglasses are used to make bright light more comfortable.

Woman wearing sunglasses
Woman wearing sunglasses

They help protect eyes from ultraviolet light, also called UV light. Some sunglasses use a feature called polarization. This removes glare from flat surfaces like water. This can help a person see into the water more easily. Photochromic glasses are interesting because they change from clear to dark when they hit UV light.

Woman wearing sunglasses
Woman wearing sunglasses

Many different types of specialized glasses exist for specific tasks. 3D glasses help people see depth during a movie.

Anaglyph glasses
Anaglyph glasses

Anaglyph glasses use colored filters like red and blue to work. There are also glasses that help people hear better. After the transistor was made in the 1940s, some glasses included hearing aids in the temples.

Hearing aid glasses
Hearing aid glasses

Even small telescopes can be built into glasses to provide magnification. This can help people with vision impairments see much better.

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🖼️ Images & Media (18)
File:Ramon nomar.jpg
Ramon nomar.jpg
File:Woman at Lover's Bridge Tanjung Sepat (cropped).jpg
Woman at Lover's Bridge Tanjung Sepat...
File:Refraction through glasses 090306.jpg
Refraction through glasses 090306.jpg
File:Microfiber cloth.jpg
Microfiber cloth.jpg
File:Hearing aid glasses.jpg
Hearing aid glasses.jpg
File:SafetyGlassesShield.jpg
SafetyGlassesShield.jpg
File:Woman wearing sunglasses.jpg
Woman wearing sunglasses.jpg
File:Doubleframe uplifting eyewear - Nella.gif
Doubleframe uplifting eyewear - Nella.gif
File:Anaglyph glasses.png
Anaglyph glasses.png
File:Recumbent spectacles.jpg
Recumbent spectacles.jpg
File:Szemüveg - 1920-as évek.JPG
Szemüveg - 1920-as évek.JPG
File:Brille eingeklappt (fcm).jpg
Brille eingeklappt (fcm).jpg

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