Through the looking glass

A feature article I did for a university assignment about glasses. Fun story (:

N.B. Had to get rid of the photos cause they were too big.

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Catcher in the Pry
13th October, 2011

The catch of the day isn’t some big fish, sports miracle or single model; it’s the person prying the world behind the latest designer glasses. Through the looking glass, Simon Pham investigates.

In today’s auction, we have the infamous Adolf Hitler’s specs. Often refusing to use his glasses, the Nazi leader read his speeches and official documents from a special typewriter with large print and huge lined spaces. Believing it would undermine his authority, there are few photos of Mr Hitler in his glasses.

It was his hidden ‘weakness’.

Once upon a time, people who wore glasses were ‘nerdy’. More accurately though, they were simply blind as a drunk after Oktoberfest. Just over half of us have eye problems according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics. With screens in use more than ever, and mums are extending their ‘don’t sit too close to the TV’ nagging to iPods and the like. The future looks blurry, and corrective vision may soon be the norm.

As people pass the age of 45, they are likely to suffer from presbyopia which requires vision correction, typically solved by reading glasses. This doesn’t just happen without some denial though. Karen Tse, Prevue Eyewear Optometrist says: “I think a lot of people who are in their 40s onwards, when it’s their first pair and they’ve never worn glasses, some find it quite intimidating.

“I suppose because it’s a sign of getting older, and sometimes it’s hard to convince them it’s perfectly normal and it’s not a sign of anything.”

Perhaps if everyone wears glasses it’ll be okay. This however doesn’t seem to be in issue for the young and carefree.

A recent study in the United Kingdom suggests that school children prefer to squint than be teased for wearing glasses. Nearly a third of all school aged kids in the UK who wear glasses experience bullying and teasing. Of these, one in six prefer to squint in class than wear their glasses.

On a brighter note, Vision Express opticians who conducted the study also found that eight out of 10 children surveyed believed that seeing celebrities wear glasses in public was helping them become more accepted by their peers. Despite the craze caused by glasses wearer Harry Potter however, corrective eyewear may be just ‘too cool for school’.

On the other side of the globe, Annalisa Armitage from My Image Consultant says this just isn’t the case in Australia. “My eight and ten year old didn't know what I was talking about when I asked them if teasing went on. The ten year old, a year ago, actually bought some glasses for $10 (her own money) from Paddy's market and wore them to school until her teacher told her she shouldn't wear glasses unless she needed to. She was inseparable from them for a few months.

“Gone are the days that glasses are purely functional, indeed glasses are seen by
many to be a critical fashion accessory.

“When we look at some-one we look at their face and mostly at their eyes. Glasses are always in the frame.”

Glasses, the new star of wardrobes? Photo: Simon Pham

Framed with style and... well, a frame, glasses are still the most practical option there is according to Optometry student Morag Stewart. “Glasses are simple, quite low maintenance and don't come with the risks associated with contacts.

“They can add to or alter your appearance, the extent depending on the type and style of frame chosen.

“Many have multiple pairs that go with different sets of clothes or different events such as formal occasions, casual wear and work wear.”

And it’s these formal occasions where glasses can make or break a person’s first impressions.

A third of British adults think glasses make someone look more professional, and just over 40 per cent think they make people look intelligent according to a UK study conducted by the College of Optometrists. Specs are also popular amongst subcultures such as the emo, punk, indie, hipster, goth, and more generally, counter culture fashion.

University of New South Wales Optometry Professor Mark Willcox says glasses offer people a sense of comfort. “Some people like to "hide" behind their glasses - using them as a barrier to the world”

In more secretive worlds, it’s also been the symbol of the library/ teacher sexual fantasy of men. As one fan of the pornography industry who did not wish to be named says: “Nothing’s hotter when a girl takes her glasses off, shakes her hair, and softly nibbles her lower lip.”

Scoping the future

Glasses taking and displaying photos? Photo: Polaroid

Contact lenses and laser eye surgery will become cheaper through technological developments.
Shortsightedness may be curable through eye drops in a decade or more.
Some glasses will feature miniature telecommunication devices and GPS locators which is great news for people who always lose things.
Polaroid are designing glasses with a built-in camera which also allow you to display your images to others around you.
The ability to adjust the prescription of the lens of your glasses.
Some iPhone apps claim they can train the eye to correct itself.

But let’s not take for granted the wide access we have to corrective eye care. According to the World Health Organisation, 90% of people with visual impairments live in developing countries. Furthermore, 80% of blindness is avoidable. Executive Chair of Optometry Giving Sight, Professor Brien Holden says: “The problem is that over 600 million people who need glasses cant wear them because they do not access to an optometrist.

“And even if they could find an optometrist, they cant afford them glasses. It is called uncorrected refractive error and it is a major world health concern.”

For more information, visit: http://www.vision2020australia.org.au/news-events-world-sight-day-faq.cfm.

World Sight Day will be held on the 13th October.

Poll: What is your preferred solution of vision correction?

a) Glasses
b) Contact lenses
c) Laser eye surgery
d) None, I’d rather squint
e) Other alternative (please specify)