Improvements in and connected with Magnifiers, Eye-glasses, Spectacles, and the like.
Year: 1898

page_text: [Communicated from abroad by EMILE BERGER, Ph.D., of 19, Rue Cambon, Paris,
in the French Republic, Physician.]
Improvements in and connected with Magnifiers, Eye-glasses,
Spectacles, and the like.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE HEYS, of 70, Market Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention
to be as follows:-
This invention relates to binocular magnifiers, eye-glasses, spectacles and the
like having inclined lenses and its object is to facilitate the close visual exam-
ination or perception either of an object or of an image thereby. The lenses may
be inclined relatively to each other either horizontally or both horizontally and
vertically and are generally decentred and are thus thicker at the side nearer the
nose than at the side nearer to the temple.
The lenses act as prisms and thus ease the internal recti muscles of the eyes.
They further have the advantage during the examination of a very close object of
obviating the inconvenience of the obliquity of the optical axes of the cornea and
of the crystalline lens of the eye which, as is well known, are deviated from the
side of the nose, this obliquity being more pronounced the more the convergence
of the eyes increases.
The lenses may be inclined relatively to each other at a variable or at an invariable
angle. If at a variable angle the variability may be controlled and effected by
appropriate known and suitable appliances.
By means of a variable degree of inclination and of decentration of the lenses,
it is possible, not merely to get the eyes to make a convergence much inferior
to that which would be required without employing the inclined lenses, but even
to suppress the convergence altogether. Thus, the observer may, whilst using the
new appliances, preserve the positions of the eyes as in distant vision.
When the inclined lenses are used they may he weaker than those for ordinary
use because the angle formed will be more open for the same dynamical condition
of the internal recti muscles of the subject.
The inclination of strong convex lenses provokes deformations analogous with
those of astigmatism in the human eye which will be inconvenient in certain pro-
fessions, as in lithography, wood-engraving and the like. To correct these deforma-
tions there are arranged behind the convex lenses, cylindrical lenses with vertical
axes.
The lenses may be arranged in any suitable frame setting or mounting and be
used as eyeglasses, as a pince-nez, as folding glasses, spectacles and otherwise,
They may also be mounted in cells or rings folding upon a common axis in the
manner of Stanhope lenses, and diaphragms may be used with them.
A telescopic arrangement may be made by arranging a pair of inelined bi-concave

page_text: or plano-concave lenses at one end of a
telescopic tube and a convex lens at the
opposite end. The distance between the binocular eye-pieces and the object glass
may be varied by sliding tubes by screws or otherwise.
Doted this 9441
TX 1000
Improvements in and connected with Magnifiers, Eye-glasses,
Spectacles, and the like.
I, WILLIAM GEORGE HEYS, of 70, Market Street, Manchester, in the County of
Lancaster, Chartered Patent Agent, do hereby declare the nature of this invention,
and in what manner the same is to be performed, to be particularly described and
ascertained in and by the following statement:-
This invention relates to binocular magnifiers, eye-glasses, spectacles and the
like which are constructed or provided with inclined lenses or glasses as herein-
after described, and its object is to facilitate the close visual examination or per-
ception either of an object or of an image. The lenses may be inclined relatively
to each other horizontally only or both horizontally and vertically, and they are
generally decentred and thicker at the side nearer to the nose than at the side
nearer the temple.
The lenses or glasses act as prisms and thus ease the internal recti muscles of
the eyes. They further have the advantage, during the examination of a very
close object, of obviating the inconvenience of the obliquity of the optical axes
of the cornea and crystalline lens of the eyes, which is more pronounced as the
convergence of the eyes increases.
The lenses or glasses may be inclined relatively to each other at a variable or at
an invariable angle. If at a variable angle, the variability may be controlled and
effected by any known and suitable appliances.
By means of a variable degree of inclination and of decentration of the lenses
or glasses, it is possible, not merely to use them with a less convergence of the
eyes than would be required without the inclination, but even to suppress the
convergence altogether. Thus, the observer may, by means of the present im-
provements, preserve the position of the eyes as in distant vision.
When the inclined lenses are used, they may be weaker than those now made for
ordinary use, because the angle formed will be more open for the same dynamical
condition of the internal recti muscles of the subject.
The inclination of strong convex glasses or lenses, provokes deformations
analogous with those of astigmatism in the human eye which will be inconvenient
in certain professions as for example in lithographic and wood engraving and the
like. To correct these deformations, there may be arranged behind the convex
lenses, cylindrical lenses with vertical axes.
The lenses or glasses may be arranged in any suitable frame, setting or mounting
and may be used as an eye-glass, as a pince-nez, as folding eye-glasses, spectacles,
and as eyepieces and objectives for optical instruments and otherwise. They may
also be mounted in cells or rings folding upon a common axis, and diaphragıns
may be used with them.
A telescopic instrument may be produced by arranging a pair of inclined
bi-concave or plano-concave lenses at one end of a suitable tube and a convex lens
at the opposite end. The distance between the binocular eye-piece and the object
glass may be varied by means of sliding tubes, by screws or otherwise.

page_text: These improvements are more particularly described hereinafter with reference
to the accompanying drawings.
The diagram Figure 1 shews two biconvex lenses 17, the one inclined relatively
to the other and having those sides which are nearer to the nose, unpolished and
in contact. The axes a a of the lenses are both arranged within the normal
range of vision. The rays of light reflected from an object A, enter the two
eyes, after having been deviated in the lenses, in such a manner that the axes of
the eyes have the normal direction A. The image appears erect, magnified, and
more distant than the object.
Figure 2, represents a similar arrangement, but with lenses so arranged that
their axes may be dencentred with relation to the range or line of vision. An
analogous result follows. With the arrangements illustrated by Figures 1 and 2,
therefore, the lenses act, in the first place, as prisms in effecting the displacement
of the image (A¹) of the object A, in the directions of the temples: and in the
second place, as spherical lenses producing magnification. The prismatic action of
the lenses relieves the internal recti muscles of the eyes E E, and permits the very
close examination of an object without convergence of the eyes.
Figure 3 represents the modification required for myopia, the only difference
from the construction of Figure 1 being that the lenses are bi-concave instead of
bi-convex. With either modification the images A' are different for each eye E,
and are stereoscopic. In the modification Figure 3, the virtual image appears
erect, and smaller, but nearer than the object.
The glasses illustrated by Figures 1, 2 and 3, have been designed for the exam-
ination of very close objects. The lenses may be decentred either by their shape
(Figures 1 and 3) or by their position (Figure 2). It is more convenient generally
to construct the glasses decentred by their shape. It has already been described
herein that the angle of inclination may be fixed or variable. If they be made
with a variable degree of inclination, it is possible not only to reduce convergence
of the eyes but to preserve the parallel direction of their axes as indicated by the
diagrams.
Practically all the known kinds of lenses and combinations of them may be
arranged one relatively to the other in an inclined position in accordance with this
invention and be used for the purposes for which the lenses or combinations are
at present used. Among the more general practical applications of the invention
may be mentioned the arrangement of the lenses in the following optical instru-
ments and appliances, by way of example:—Magnifiers, orthoptic instruments,
objectives, eyepieces. At present it appears that the more useful application
of this invention will be found in the construction of eye-pieces for various optical
instruments such as spectroscopes, polarimeters, otoscopes, urethroscopes, binocular
instruments and the like.
Figure 4 represents diagrammatically in what manner the lenses illustrated by
Figure 2 may be arranged in a binocular magnifier. The inclined lenses 11 are
secured in one end of a mount M, the opposite end of which may be shaped to fit
the nose, cheeks, and temples. The lenses may be weaker than with the usual
arrangement, because the angle formed will be more open for the same dynamical
condition of the internal recti muscles of the same subject. The inclination of the
lenses may be varied by obvious and well known devices
Figure 5 represents the application of the arrangement represented by Figure 1,
in a binocular magnifier corresponding with Figure 4. When the spherical lenses
are used, an astigmatism contrary to the astigmatism of the human eye is induced.
When the induced astigmatism is stronger than that of the eye, the defect may
be corrected by the use of cylindrical lenses with vertical axes G, or by a second
inclination of the lenses in a vertical direction.
Figure 6 represents in elevation and in plan respectively, an appliance or eye-
glasses for use close to the eyes. This is especially useful for subjects suffering
from myopia. The lenses may be held by the hand as may those represented by

page_text: Figures 1, 2 and 3, or may be fixed to a rod or holder t, or be secured to the head
of the user by a band or otherwise.
In a folding eyeglass, pince-nez or spectacles made with the inclined lenses,
two different kinds may be distinguished, that is to say, those used for the exam-
ination of close objects, and those used for objects and work at the ordinary focal
distances such as for reading writing sewing and the like. The lenses may be of
different dimensions. For example a very small model may be made which
will give a watchmaker the field of a small watch whilst outside that field, the
work or examination may be done under ordinary vision.
It is necessary to point out that these improvements are not restricted to the
arrangement in an inclined position of ordinary lenses, since in the case of plane
glass being substituted for lenses, these glasses act as abductor prisms as indicated
by Figure 7, which displace the image of an object and relieve the internal recti
muscles, which it is one of the objects of this invention to bring about.
Figure 8 illustrates a pair of spectacles in elevation plan and end view respectively,
in which there is not only the horizontally inclination of the glasses, but a vertical
inclination also.
Figure 9 illustrates an appliance consisting of a series of superposed lenses
which may be used as a monocular magnifier by naturalists and others, and when
the lenses are separated, as a binocular magnifier with inclined lenses. The series
may consist of a concave lens 1, convet lenses 2 and 4, and a diaphragm 3. Each
lens or diaphragm is mounted in a ring of which an extension forms a clip by
means of which each lens may be mounted upon a rod t, either in juxtaposition as
shewn by Figure 9 or at appropriate distances as shewn by Figure 10. The clips
are so formed that by a little manual pressure, any lens or diaphragm
may be mounted upon the rod or be removed therefrom. When re-
moved therefrom they may be separately used, inclined the one relatively
to the other, as indicated by Figure 9, when they form a pair equivalent
to that shewn by Figure 2. The diaphragm is employed for the purpose of cutting
out peripheral rays. This appliance may not be very generally useful, but the
binocular magnifier which may be quickly improvised by its means according to
these improvements, that is to say, with inclined lenses, renders it convenient for
many purposes. When the system is fixed upon the rod as shewn by Figure 10, it
constitutes a Galileo magnifier.
In the binocular magnifier represented by Figure 11, the eye end is constituted
by two biconcave or plano-concave lenses 77, inclined the one relatively to the
other. These lenses may be mounted in rings or mountings b, in slides in the
funnel shaped part F. The distance between the two lenses may be made capable
of adjustment hy known means, such for example as right and left hand screws g
working in corresponding nuts. The screws may be coaxial and connected, between
the lenses, and the nuts be fixed upon the lens mounts, so that rotation of the
screwed part effects the adjustment of the distance. If concave lenses be used as
last described, they may be employed as the binocular eye-piece for a Galileo
telescope or magnifier, whilst corresponding convex lenses may be employed for
telescopes of the astronomical type and for compound magnifiers constructed on
the same system. These binocular eye-pieces with convex inclined lenses are
especially suitable for use in such compound optical instruments as spectroscopes,
polarimeters, and ophthalmoscopes.
Figure 12 illustrates in what manner the inclined lenses may be used as the
objective in a binocular magnifier. The two lenses L L constituting the objective
are inclined both relatively to themselves and to the eyepieces 17. The two lenses
constituting the eye-pieces may be brought nearer together or further apart as
described with reference to Figure 11. The lenses 11 may be either of the convex
or of the concave type according to the nature of the instrument, which gives
stereo copie images necessary for the appreciation of objects under their three
dimensions. In both instruments Figure 11 and Figure 12, diaphragms may also
be used to cut out the peripheral rays.

page_text: It will be understood that this invention is capable of very many more applica-
tions in optical science than have been hereinbefore indicated, and because this
is so, the description has been limited to typical examples only.
Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of my said
invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, as communicated to
me by my foreign correspondent, I declare that what I claim is:-
1. In optical instruments and appliances, the arrangements of a lens or glass
or a plurality of lenses or glasses at an angle to the axis of vision, substantially
as and for the purpose herein before described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
2. In optical instruments and appliances, a pair of lenses or glasses arranged
side by side and inclined relatively to each other, substantially as and for the
purpose hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
3. In binocular optical instruments, arranging the binocular lenses side by side and
relatively inclined to each other, the inclination being limited to one plane or
being in two directions at right angles, substantially as and for the purpose here-
inbefore described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
4. In binocular optical instruments, a binocular eyepiece constituted by two
lenses each inclined relatively to the other, substantially as and for the purpose
herein before described and as illustrated by the accompanying drawings.
5. In binocular optical instruments, a binocular eye piece constituted by two
lenses inclined relatively to each other and a binocular objective constituted by two
lenses relatively inclined to each other and to the lenses of the eyepiece, substantially
as and for the purpose hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying
drawings.
6. In binocular optical instruments and appliances, two lenses arranged side
by side and relatively inclined, in combination with two cylindrical lenses
respectively arranged on the eye side of the inclined lenses, substantially as and for
the purpose herein before described with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Noted this 21st day of December A.D). 1898.
W. E. HEYS & SON,
Agents for the Applicant.