The History of Progressive Lenses
Article first published: March 2020
Europe's rise to scientific authority starting from the 13th century is mainly thanks to the invention of the corrective lens, which is therefore also one of the ten most significant inventions in human history after the wheel and fire. People who have corrected long-sightedness can read, study, write and share their knowledge for longer. Therefore, not only do they enjoy enhanced quality of life. They also contribute far more significantly to the development of science and culture than people without reading glasses could in days gone by. As the remedial means of choice for treating visual impairments in the elderly, modern progressive lenses are the result of centuries of research, development and testing of a wide range of solutions. This three parted series gives you insights into the development of progressive lenses.
Old Complaint, New Solution?
From the Franklin Bifocal to the first patent for image jump-free multifocal lenses
Part 1 of this short series tells the story from the first bifocals to the first producible progressive lenses.
Horse-riding inspiration
A practicable and acceptable visual aid for long-sighted people requires various ingredients which were only gradually recognized and researched in Europe also. These include knowledge of the optical effect of various "lenses", i.e. curved glasses, an understanding of their tolerance and especially the technical skill required for their manufacture. Abu Ali al-Hasan ibn al-Haitham (Alhazen) described optical effects of convex lenses and had loupes ground as far back as the 11th century. The discovery of optical corrective lenses – which were indeed reading loupes as we understand them today – starting from the 13th century is considered the fifth most significant discovery in human history after the wheel and fire (1): "Light refraction through glass is one of the simplest ideas, whose implementation strangely required a very long time", the explanation says. Even the Romans produced glass and Seneca knew about the light-refracting effect of a glass filled with water as early as the 1st century. However, the discovery of eyeglasses ultimately increased the collective intelligence drastically. Reasons and consequences were already briefly explained above.
An Idea Becomes Reality
The competition for the first commercial progressive lenses
The first part provided an outline of how long the idea of an eyeglass lens with a "progressive diopter number" had already been circulating, but also that bifocal lenses remained the means of choice for long-sighted people until well into the 20th century. After all, for tolerable progressive lenses, innovations were and are required in three areas: optical design, production and acceptance among eyeglass wearers. The race for the first progressive lens starts again in the 1950s – this time between Paris and East Berlin.
The year 2019 marks 60 years of "Varilux" – the first commercially successful progressive lens. Originally an engineer, Bernhard Maitenaz (3) had rightly taken the production process into consideration when he developed his idea of a lens that enabled progressive vision at all distances. Thus, the 1950s and 60s are the time in which the design, calculation and manufacture of progressive lenses became possible, although their commercial value had still been underestimated at the outset. The developments up until the 1980s were characterized by continuous improvements and breakthroughs such as horizontal symmetry for significantly improved tolerance.
Maitenaz' motivation to come up with a superior alternative to bifocals was also shared by scientists in East Berlin. Thus, an engineer on the Seine and physicists and mathematicians on the Spree work on finding the solution of the three problem areas associated with progressive lenses. A typical example from the 1950s may provide an insight into why it was not an optician such as Owen Aves (1907) or an optical designer such as Estelle Glancy (1924) who ultimately made the breakthrough.
Lots of possibilities
During the first and second part of this series we looked at the centuries long search for ophthalmic lenses that are convenient for their optical and manufacturing characteristics for presbyopic patients - to the breakthrough with Varilux, and the advances for higher comfort and simple adaptation and the commercial preeminence of varifocal lenses on the market for glasses for presbyopic patients. The triad of basic challenges in this segment also marks the development in the 21st century: successful varifocal lenses can only be created with a new optical design, groundbreaking manufacturing procedures and innovations for superior consumer benefits.
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