31 Glasses
Nicholas Knutson
English 101
Jonathan Lashley
25 April 2024
Glasses: A commonly overlooked implement for eyesight, now an instrument for much more.
Glasses may seem like a simple tool for eyesight that designers overcomplicate with flashy designs and crazy styles. Still, now they are far more than just an eyepiece that ameliorates poor eyesight. Glasses have been considered a simple tool that fixes poor vision. Still, with historical improvements to the supply line and manufacturing process, glasses have evolved into many new styles and newer and more futuristic technologies like VR headsets and eyepieces with voice assistants and cameras built in to help the elderly. Many people fail to see the importance and wide technological improvements glasses throughout history have brought. Multiple individuals should consider technologies such as VR headsets, AR headsets, voice assistants, glasses with voice assistants, and even eyepieces that incorporate a mixture of more than one. Many of these developing technologies are what make looking deeper into the history and importance of glasses much more worthwhile; They make glasses much more than a simple eyepiece for poor vision. Some people may think that these new inventions may harm society or are otherwise not worth mentioning because they have their downsides, however, I believe that each one regardless of downsides, glasses still pose a large advancement for human technology causing them to be held of more importance.
Glasses throughout the ages have developed not only technologically but in a way that allows people to express themselves, and this is why it should be a more discovered subject. One way that this is portrayed is through designers and their ability to release their creativity into the world. Individuals should be encouraged to explore the wide range and multitude of styles and designs that designers create. Ranging from exotic to abstract pieces designers create art pieces onto the frames. This extends even further with the use of modern metals and materials like titanium and contemporary plastics. Many designers use their most extreme imaginations to express themselves in their art. They can go as far as expressing their emotions, personality, and even their lives through the art they infuse into their designs for glasses. A group of designers that, “(want) a new, provocative, revelation of the way we show off our face,” known as L.A Eye Works, “Every detail of their eyewear glasses from shaping and construction is continually reinvented as part of their designer’s restless imagination.” Glasses should be a more considered concept because of the emotions and moods the creators can display throughout their pieces. Not only can authors of famous designs present their emotions and ability, but also individuals who need and choose to wear glasses, which range from vision-ailing glasses to sunglasses. Most people choose to wear glasses because they allow them the freedom to express themselves with certain colors like bright flashy red, or sky blue. A foundation dedicated to mental health awareness hosts an article by staff writer Tania Dubayssi claims,” Fashion is an escape for some by expressing how they feel through their clothing. There are numerous ways of expressing your identity and how you feel through clothing. The clothes we put on our body reflect the way we would want people to perceive us and, most importantly, how we see ourselves.” (“Self-Expression, Fashion, and Mental Health – AWARE AE”) Glasses allow people to design themselves as a person and give individuals to be perceived in a way they want to. Due to designers and their intricate designs, glasses have become a notable fashion icon that should be studied because of their wide range of styles and meaning.
Another, similar, train of thought, that some should consider, is that glasses, mere tools for eyesight, are not just a tool for some; they are so much more widespread than many think. Glasses, better identified as lenses with frames, came from small lenses crafted from water and rudimentary glass lenses, which later formed into many other inventions such as cameras and screens. Glasses were one of these principal inventions, and many inventions were created with the use of glasses and their descendants. Many inventions like VR headsets and technologies enable people to do much more than before. Even the elderly and others with vision disabilities are now enabled to do things that were once impossible. This extends to aiding people who are colorblind. In an interview hosted by the Mercury News, Harriet Blair Rowan writes, “those glasses really allow people to see a lot more color. What they do is manipulate light coming through the lens, we pull those signals apart, so it reduces that level of confusion.” Glasses can span as far as to help aid the color blind in day-to-day activities enabling them to do things that they could not before. For example, now people with color deficiencies can see the difference between green and red lights. Other disabilities that glasses can aid include far and near-sightedness for the elderly, enabling them to read, write and see objects that once they were not able to. Another important key detail that makes glasses worthwhile subject is their use in the modern day and the future. Modern-day innovations like smart glasses that can track vitals and have voice assistants can help people look things up on the web and help them do everyday tasks. Certain headpieces can utilize both augmented and virtual reality technologies. Headsets have applications for workforce training, military needs, and medical foundations. Many recent headpieces even combine virtual and augmented reality. These glasses can track the surroundings on the outside and even create a map of the room to play in. Many of these technologies that have been developed into glasses can be used for the disabled and elderly to help the as well, making the topic of glasses much more widespread than many have previously thought. Glasses have opened a huge opportunity pool for many and will continue for the far future. From business to gaming, a wide range of use cases exist for glasses now, and it is an ever-changing advancement in technology that creates a pique of interest for many.
Consequentially, with new and rising technologies the young and old can-do things that were once impossible, creating a new importance and meaning for glasses. Historical breakthroughs and the creativity of many individuals’ glasses have become a more interesting and meaningful piece of technology. I believe not only do style and ailment for the elderly make glasses a much more interesting topic among many, but also ever-expanding future technologies that stretch human capability make spectacles, a simple tool for eyesight, a much more principal subject.
Works Cited
“l.a. Eyeworks | Respect Eyecare.” Respect Eyecare, www.respecteyecare.com/laeyeworks-glasses-collection. Accessed 26 April 2024.
Rowan, Harriet Blair, and Harriet Rowan. “Meet the CEO of the Berkeley-based Company Helping the Colorblind Enjoy Fall Foliage Hues.” The Mercury News, 30 Dec. 2023, www.mercurynews.com/2023/12/29/meet-the-ceo-of-the-berkeley-based-company-helping-the-colorblind-enjoy-fall-foliage-hues. Accessed 26 April 2024.