In 1782, near the end of the Revolutionary War, General George Washington was fighting off a coup within the Continental Army. Soldiers were disgruntled over unpaid wages, and Congress wasn’t footing the bill. Washington delivered a short but passionate speech — now known as the Newburgh Address — calling for patience and asking his officers to oppose anyone “who wickedly attempts to open the floodgates of civil discord and deluge our rising empire in blood.”
Afterward, he pulled out a letter from a congressman to read aloud. But Washington fumbled with it, gazing blankly at the page. Then he reached for a new pair of glasses and said, “Gentlemen, you will permit me to put on my spectacles, for I have not only grown gray but almost blind in the service of my country.”
Shock crossed the officers’ faces. Their fearless leader now needed reading glasses at 50. That simple display of vulnerability softened the room, and a crisis was averted.
Just two years later, a 79-year-old Benjamin Franklin wrote about his own glasses conundrum:
“[I had] two pairs of spectacles, which I [changed out] occasionally, as in traveling I sometimes read [up close with one], and often wanted to regard the prospects [in the distance with the other]. Finding this change troublesome…I had the glasses cut, and half of each kind associated in the same circle. By this means, as I wear my spectacles constantly, I have only to move my eyes up or down, as I want to see distinctly far or near, the proper glasses being always ready.”
Two Founding Fathers: one exhibiting the struggles of presbyopia (old eyes), the other inventing the solution — bifocals.
Franklin’s “double spectacle” has since evolved through many iterations: the D-segment bifocal, the flat-top, “invisible” bifocals, and today’s progressive multifocal. Lens manufacturers spend millions annually refining these designs for modern lifestyles.
At Focus Eye Care and Optical Lab, we craft progressive lenses in-house, customized to your exact specifications — whether you’re operating a crane at 40 feet or painting a canvas at 28 inches. Computer progressive lenses have also transformed screen-heavy workdays, and even younger patients benefit from anti-fatigue lenses that relieve digital eye strain.
So this Fourth of July, when you’re squinting at the burger seasoning on the back of the package, remember you’re not the first to fight this battle. Wear your progressive proudly — and remember your rights of Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Clear Vision.
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