Trifocals and new designs in bifocals were later introduced, including the Franklin bifocal revived in one-piece form.
Mr Achebe was widely hailed as the father of African literature; but, smiling over his heavy bifocals, he rejected that.
A.A. Milne's Christopher Robin is revisited as an ailing pensioner who has retired to Spain ("He peers through a pair of bifocals;/He talks quite a lot to a bear that he's got/Who is known as El Pu to the locals").
When it comes to biotechnology, he keeps his bifocals on.
In 1784 Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals, dividing his lenses for distant and near vision, the split parts being held together by the frame.
Cemented bifocals were invented in 1884, and the fused and one-piece types followed in 1908 and 1910, respectively.
"When the first eyeglasses appeared in the 13th century, they took off and over the next 700 years, they evolved over and over, with the first bifocals appearing in the 18th century, and the monocle and sunglasses shortly after.
Nevertheless, it's filled the Royal Albert Hall with fans who have long since swapped their Raybans for bifocals, and who have in many cases brought their children along (which surely counts as some sort of abuse).
They sometimes have gray hair or bifocals or a body mass index over 19".
A bishop, struggling with new bifocals, blunders on to the set and is persuaded that it's the Women's Institute creating an Advent calendar.
Flint glass, or barium crown, which has less dispersive power, is used in fused bifocals.
