Our highly qualified and experienced dispensing staff at Zacks Eye Clinic in central London W1, provide detailed unbiased advice on bifocal glasses lenses without obligation or pressure.
Bifocal lenses are designed to counter presbyopia, which usually begins to affect us in our forties. As our eyes mature, the nearest point that we can focus on becomes further away and so reading and other near vision activities become more difficult. Different prescriptions are therefore required for close work and distance.
About Bifocal Lenses
Bifocals are eyeglasses with two distinct optical powers (distance at the top and reading at the bottom). Bifocal lenses are most commonly prescribed to people with presbyopia who also require a correction for myopia, hypermetropia and/or astigmatism.
History of Bifocal Lenses
Benjamin Franklin is usually credited with the creation of the first pair of bifocals in the 1760s, though the first indication of this comes from a political cartoon printed in 1764. Whether this is historically accurate or merely a partisan myth is a matter of debate. Most serious historians now agree that, whilst it is a genuine possibility, the hard evidence is simply lacking.
Up until the beginning of the 20th century, Bifocal glasses consisted of two separate lenses cut in half and combined together in the rim of the frame. The mounting of two half lenses into a single frame led to a number of early complications and rendered such spectacles quite fragile. One of the first commercially available Bifocal lens designs for general prescribing was presented at the Great Exhibition (1851) by W. Johnsons Opticians (now part of Zacks London Eye Clinics)
Bifocal Lenses Today
The latest bifocal lenses are available in a variety of different materials with several segment shapes, segment sizes and lens coatings to chose from, each of which provide different occupational and dispensing benefits. They are also available as sunglasses, with polaroid coatings or transitions. Bifocals are suitable for people with low or high spectacle prescriptions and for those who cannot tolerate varifocals.
More Information
If you would like more information on Bifocal Lenses, please don’t hesitate to contact us or make an appointment with our dispensing opticians at our practice in central London (30 Warren Street, London W1T 5NF)
