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What are Granny Glasses?

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Granny glasses are glasses with small lenses which may be round or rectangular, depending on style. They were popularized by the counterculture movement of the 1960s, when they were seen on people like John Lennon and other leaders of the hippie movement. People who embrace the hippie lifestyle sometimes choose to wear this style of glasses, and of course they are also worn by older people, who use the lenses for reading and other tasks.

The shape of granny glasses can vary. Many people during the 1960s sported glasses with rectangular lenses and thin frames or half-frames. The lenses were small, with people who actually need glasses for vision correction using this style for reading and detail work, rather than donning such glasses for general wear. Another common style of granny glasses uses round lenses in full or half frames.

Granny glasses have small lenses.
Granny glasses have small lenses.

Round granny glasses are sometimes referred to as Ben Franklin glasses, referencing the famous inventor who created the round lens style for vision correction. Several portraits of Ben Franklin show him sporting his own set of glasses with their distinctively round, small lenses and lightweight frame. The lightweight, small glasses are ideally suited to intermittent wear, with people donning such glasses to read or work on projects with challenging visual detail. This is why many people associate such glasses with older people like grandmothers, as older people often need vision correction for certain kinds of tasks.

Granny glasses were traditionally worn by elderly people as a reading aid.
Granny glasses were traditionally worn by elderly people as a reading aid.

Granny glasses can be fitted with prescription lenses, although the small lens size makes them less than ideal for casual wear. Many people in the 1960s chose to wear glasses with tinted lenses, using them as sunglasses, and the tinting was sometimes done in an unusual color like pink or orange. Some people combined them with another fad of the 1960s, glassless glasses, wearing simply the frames, with no lenses installed.

It's important to visit an eye care professional for periodic vision exams.
It's important to visit an eye care professional for periodic vision exams.

Interest in granny glasses faded quickly in the 1960s, as often happens within fads. Within a few years of becoming trendy, the glasses essentially vanished overnight, with people adopting new styles. However, the style has become so closely associated with the hippie era that it is often worn by people dressing up as hippies, or by people who wish to identify with this period in history.

Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...
Mary McMahon
Mary McMahon

Ever since she began contributing to the site several years ago, Mary has embraced the exciting challenge of being a WiseGEEK researcher and writer. Mary has a liberal arts degree from Goddard College and spends her free time reading, cooking, and exploring the great outdoors.

Learn more...

Discussion Comments

ddljohn

I actually think that granny glasses look really good on some people but the fashion magazines don't think that way. Brad Pitt wore a pair last year and the media mocked him for weeks. I thought it looked fine, it made him look older and more sophisticated.

I wish I had a pair of old granny glasses. I could probably sell it as a collectors item for a decent amount. Or maybe I would keep it. I feel like the trend might come back one day.

fify

When I hear about granny glasses, the first thing that comes to mind is Sylvester and Tweety's granny. It's my favorite childhood cartoon.

She always wore granny glasses and crocheted while Sylvester chased Tweety. And when Sylvester swallowed Tweety, she would hit him on the head! Haha!

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    • Granny glasses have small lenses.
      By: philip kinsey
      Granny glasses have small lenses.
    • Granny glasses were traditionally worn by elderly people as a reading aid.
      By: Mat Hayward
      Granny glasses were traditionally worn by elderly people as a reading aid.
    • It's important to visit an eye care professional for periodic vision exams.
      By: fred goldstein
      It's important to visit an eye care professional for periodic vision exams.
    • Sunglasses in round granny frames are a fashionable accessory.
      By: visoook
      Sunglasses in round granny frames are a fashionable accessory.