# Are there single-lensed glasses that are not monocles? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 15, 2019, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799 "2019-01-15T15:00:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 3:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799/1 "2019-01-15T15:00:50Z")
ETA: title should say “single-lensed”. So 2 days ago I was cleaning my eyeglasses a bit too vigorously and they broke. For now I am making do with just the left half, as my right eye vision is 20/20. It turns out that other than having to balance the glasses on my ear and eye, I enjoy having just one lens as I have no obstructions in my right eye from the rim or any less-than-100%-perfect cleanliness of the non-prescription lens. Do they make single-lens eyeglasses that do not have an obstructive frame across the blank eye? I’d think that there would have to be a counterbalance across the nose somehow but there might be other solutions. I don’t want to worry about dropping a monocle. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799/2 "2019-01-15T15:03:49Z")
My daughter had the issue years ago. The solution was to have the optician put plain glass in one of the eyes. I’m sure you could find one who’d do it. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 15, 2019, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799/3 "2019-01-15T15:23:06Z")
My right lens is already non-prescription, I don’t want it there at all so I won’t have to clean it and so the rim won’t be in my line of sight. Although I could solve the second problem with rimless glasses. ---
**Author:** ![engineer\_comp\_geek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/engineer_comp_geek/32/504_2.png) [@engineer\_comp\_geek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/engineer_comp_geek)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799/4 "2019-01-16T00:41:29Z")
**Moderator Note** > [@Ludovic](#): > > ETA: title should say “single-lensed”. And now it does. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799/5 "2019-01-16T00:52:07Z")
Maybe just wear one contact lens? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799/6 "2019-01-16T01:04:20Z")
Now that I might be interested in, but only in the past 2 days have I thought about contact lenses. TMI warning:Previous to this incident I did not want to think about putting something in my eye. And I’ve had to clean my half-glasses _a lot more_ than I did my previous full glasses, and they always get dirty in the same place, and my theory is that they are so close to my eye they are touching it on occasion. So maybe touching one’s eyeball isn’t so gross after all. ---
**Author:** ![Yllaria](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yllaria/32/3452_2.png) [@Yllaria](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yllaria)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799/7 "2019-01-16T01:54:44Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > . . . Do they make single-lens eyeglasses that do not have an obstructive frame across the blank eye? I’d think that there would have to be a counterbalance across the nose somehow but there might be other solutions. I don’t want to worry about dropping a monocle. They make [make-up glasses](https://www.boominusa.com/products/makeup-glasses) with only one lens. They’re usually plain magnifying lenses, although I saw one set of frames at my optometrists, so it’s possible to get prescription ones. The hinge lets you roll the single lens from one eye to the other. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 1:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799/8 "2019-01-16T01:57:49Z")
I found [this](https://www.aliexpress.com/item/Handmade-custom-metal-circular-frame-monocle-British-aristocracy-Continental-Western-men-and-women-glasses-frame-glasses/32475089384.html), but it’s basically a standard eyeglass frame with half of it cut away. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799/9 "2019-01-16T02:34:36Z")
You could get your lens built into an eye-patch strap thing, but then you’d look like the Borg, and actually that sounds kind of cool, so you should do that. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [January 16, 2019, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799/10 "2019-01-16T04:03:26Z")
High end Olympic shooting glasses. You might look a bit odd, though.: [http://www.champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=ItemDetailOptions&item=70208](http://www.champchoice.com/store/Main.aspx?p=ItemDetailOptions&item=70208) ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799/11 "2019-01-17T21:15:25Z")
The eyeglass company that made [this device](https://goo.gl/images/n6fQit) can surely make you a fashionable, single-lensed pair of glasses that meet your specifications. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799/12 "2019-01-17T21:53:14Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > I don’t want to worry about dropping a monocle. NB I have seen monocles worn with a cord, precisely to save them if one accidentally falls. ---
**Author:** ![DPRK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4491bb/32.png) [@DPRK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DPRK)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2019, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799/13 "2019-01-17T22:03:33Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Now that I might be interested in, but only in the past 2 days have I thought about contact lenses. TMI warning:Previous to this incident I did not want to think about putting something in my eye. And I’ve had to clean my half-glasses _a lot more_ than I did my previous full glasses, and they always get dirty in the same place, and my theory is that they are so close to my eye they are touching it on occasion. So maybe touching one’s eyeball isn’t so gross after all. They make contact lenses out of soft polymer these days, not just glass. You should be able to insert them without your fingertip actually making contact with your eyeball, since the lens is in between. OTOH, I don’t think _non_-contact lenses such as in spectacles are supposed to be poking you in the eye. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2019, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799/14 "2019-01-20T05:13:01Z")
> [@DPRK](#): > > They make contact lenses out of soft polymer these days, not just glass. You should be able to insert them without your fingertip actually making contact with your eyeball, since the lens is in between. OTOH, I don’t think _non_-contact lenses such as in spectacles are supposed to be poking you in the eye. Aside: after nearly 34 years of life, it never occurred to me that they are called “contact lenses” because they are in _contact_ with the user’s eye. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [January 20, 2019, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/are-there-single-lensed-glasses-that-are-not-monocles/827799/15 "2019-01-20T05:23:30Z")
> [@Ludovic](#): > > Now that I might be interested in, but only in the past 2 days have I thought about contact lenses. TMI warning:Previous to this incident I did not want to think about putting something in my eye. And I’ve had to clean my half-glasses _a lot more_ than I did my previous full glasses, and they always get dirty in the same place, and my theory is that they are so close to my eye they are touching it on occasion. So maybe touching one’s eyeball isn’t so gross after all. I’ve had contacts in my eyes more than I haven’t. I can tell you that A)if your glasses were touching your eye, you’d feel it. B)Many, if not most people feel that way about contacts. You get used to ‘touching your eye’ or putting something on your eye very quickly. And many places that sell contacts will (or require you to) set up an appointment for you to come in so they can teach you how to put them in and take them out if you’ve never worn them before.