Mr. Lincoln's glasses

[tblunk]

Found this information about blue lenses on another website:

Scientific American, 1857 "To weakness of the eyes:'We should judge that, as you suggest, blue spectacles would convert the yellow rays of artificial light into a green tint, more agreeable and less irritating to weak or sore eyes...'"

John King, The Causes, symptoms, diagnosis, pathology, and treatment of
chronic diseases, Cincinnati, Moore, Wilstach & Baldwin, 1867
Mentions cobalt blue lenses for both sclerotico-choroiditis posterior and glaucoma. P. 1481 and 1487.

Matthew Brady, the famous CW-era photographer was another example of a man who wore blue spectacles due to light sensitivity.

Henry Clay Angell, MD, A Treatise on Diseases of the Eye, Boston: James Campbell, 1873. writes "Eye protectors made of curved blue glass are the best [Eye Protectors]. Goggles with wire, silk, or glass sides keep the eye, as a general rule, too close and warm. For photophobia, simple blue spectacles of plain glass are generally sufficient, and may be darker or lighter in shade, according to the amount of protection required. Brown or smoke-colored glasses may be used, if preferred. The latter cut off all the rays of light, and consequently render vision somewhat less distinct, while blue glasses, excluding the orange rays only, interfere les with the clear definition of objects. Green glasses protect the eye from the red rays alone; but it is the orange rays which are most intolerable to a sensitive retina.