# What was the deal with monocles? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 28, 2008, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261 "2008-01-28T02:09:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/1 "2008-01-28T02:09:43Z")
Why would anyone wear a monocle? What was the point? I can see two blazingly obvious things wrong with the idea: [ul] [li]Wouldn’t both eyes need some form of correction? How often does it happen that only one eye is bad enough to need a lens?[/li][li]Wouldn’t the trigeminal nerve be a blistering mass of pain? Holding the eyepiece in place is not a natural thing for those muscles to be doing for hours on end. People would feel it.[/li][li]It gets knocked out at the slightest emotional shock. Your wife told you she thinks you’re fat? It’s on the floor. Your daughter is marrying a mere clerk and moving to Argentina? Man, your monocle is gone. Kiss it goodbye.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/2 "2008-01-28T02:13:40Z")
Well, you’d only use it for close work. It’s like a monocular reading lens. You don’t use it all the time. ---
**Author:** ![Fear\_Itself](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fear_itself/32/19637_2.png) [@Fear\_Itself](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fear_Itself)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/3 "2008-01-28T02:21:07Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] [ul] [li]Wouldn’t both eyes need some form of correction? How often does it happen that only one eye is bad enough to need a lens?[/ul][/li][/QUOTE] My right eye is far sighted, and my left eye is near sighted. I’m either going to get a monocle or an eye patch, then become a character actor in Hollywood. ---
**Author:** ![Derleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Derleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Derleth)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/4 "2008-01-28T02:37:27Z")
[QUOTE=Zsofia] Well, you’d only use it for close work. It’s like a monocular reading lens. You don’t use it all the time. [/QUOTE] OK, that makes sense but it’s at odds with the popular image of the monocle. > [@Fear Itself](#): > > My right eye is far sighted, and my left eye is near sighted. If they hate you, they switch conditions in the night. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/5 "2008-01-28T02:40:10Z")
[QUOTE=Fear Itself] My right eye is far sighted, and my left eye is near sighted. I’m either going to get a monocle or an eye patch, then become a character actor in Hollywood. [/QUOTE] Same here. Right eye far sighted and left eye near sighted. I am slightly crosseyed; enough that I can’t look at the same object with both eyes at the same time, so I always use one eye. My eye doctor told me that it is fairly common that people with my condition end up with entirely different prescriptions in both eyes. Actually, it’s kind of neat. When I’m at work in front of the computer, I’m using my left eye. When I’m in traffic, reading distant street signs, I bring my right eye to bear. No glasses involved at all. ---
**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 28, 2008, 2:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/6 "2008-01-28T02:40:58Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] Why would anyone wear a monocle? What was the point? I can see two blazingly obvious things wrong with the idea: [ul] [li]Wouldn’t both eyes need some form of correction? How often does it happen that only one eye is bad enough to need a lens?[/li][/quote] It’s not unusual for people to have different vision in each eye. My daughter needs correction in her left eye, but has bad vision in her right. She wears glasses, but a monocle woudl do. [quote] [li]Wouldn’t the trigeminal nerve be a blistering mass of pain? Holding the eyepiece in place is not a natural thing for those muscles to be doing for hours on end. People would feel it.[/li][/quote] Not realyl. The monocle is fitted so you don’t need to hold it in place all the time; it touches both the bone above the eyebrows, the nose, and the cheek all at once. They are much bigger than eyeglass lenses, so you aren’t really straining if they’re fitted properly. > [@](#): > > [li]It gets knocked out at the slightest emotional shock. Your wife told you she thinks you’re fat? It’s on the floor. Your daughter is marrying a mere clerk and moving to Argentina? Man, your monocle is gone. Kiss it goodbye.[/li][/ul] Obviously, one shouldn’t use Three Stooges movies as a guide to how people wore monocles. ---
**Author:** ![Chez\_Guevara](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/aeb1de/32.png) [@Chez\_Guevara](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chez_Guevara)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/7 "2008-01-28T03:09:04Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] It gets knocked out at the slightest emotional shock. Your wife told you she thinks you’re fat? It’s on the floor. Your daughter is marrying a mere clerk and moving to Argentina? Man, your monocle is gone. Kiss it goodbye. [/QUOTE] I occasionally use mine as a menu reader in restaurants. Additionally, I’m currently working on a routine in which I get the bill/check and feign surprise at the amount I am expected to pay. I then raise an eyebrow, thus causing the monocle to fall majestically into what remains of my dessert. The eyepiece is retained by a cord to prevent accidents such as you describe but the length of the cord only caters for standing-up surprises, hence the difficulties I’m experiencing in perfecting the sketch without damage to the monocle. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 3:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/8 "2008-01-28T03:09:27Z")
I believe that monocles often had some sort of ribbon or string threaded through the frame so that if the wearer should lose his or her grip on it the monocle would wind up suspended rather than broken on the floor. ---
**Author:** ![MikeS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MikeS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MikeS)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/9 "2008-01-28T03:19:34Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] It gets knocked out at the slightest emotional shock. Your wife told you she thinks you’re fat? It’s on the floor. Your daughter is marrying a mere clerk and moving to Argentina? Man, your monocle is gone. Kiss it goodbye. [/QUOTE] “That was my third monocle this week! I simply must stop being so horrified.” ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 4:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/10 "2008-01-28T04:23:39Z")
Watching Hogan’s Heroes I saw the proper way it was used in many episodes. Kernal Klink would use it properly, while if asked it’s proper use, Sergent Schultz would say “I know nothing. Nothing!” ---
**Author:** ![Alan\_Smithee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@Alan\_Smithee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alan_Smithee)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2008, 8:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/11 "2008-01-28T08:32:39Z")
Instead of bifocals, my mother wears a different prescription in each eye. She said it didn’t take long to learn how to use one eye for close distances and the other for farther distances. She’s an ophthalmologist, and she says lots of patients prefer this system to bifocals as well. ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/12 "2008-01-29T02:45:46Z")
[QUOTE=Derleth] [li]Wouldn’t both eyes need some form of correction? How often does it happen that only one eye is bad enough to need a lens?[/li][/QUOTE] My glasses only have one prescription lens. I have astigmatism in my right eye and 20/20 in my left. ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 2:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/13 "2008-01-29T02:56:28Z")
Was there ever a nose-grip option for monocles? Sort of like [pince-nez](http://www.antiquespectacles.com/glossary/images/pince_nez.jpg), minus one lens frame? ---
**Author:** ![MissGypsy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@MissGypsy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissGypsy)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/14 "2008-01-29T03:27:28Z")
[QUOTE=minor7flat5] Same here. Right eye far sighted and left eye near sighted. I am slightly crosseyed; enough that I can’t look at the same object with both eyes at the same time, so I always use one eye. My eye doctor told me that it is fairly common that people with my condition end up with entirely different prescriptions in both eyes. Actually, it’s kind of neat. When I’m at work in front of the computer, I’m using my left eye. When I’m in traffic, reading distant street signs, I bring my right eye to bear. No glasses involved at all. [/QUOTE] Doesn’t that mess with your depth perception? My eyes are both very near-sighted, but occasionally I only wear one contact for a day or so, and I tend to run into walls and other large obstacles. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/15 "2008-01-29T04:22:09Z")
I wait for the day I meet a person with glasses fastened as a piercing on the face. I’m betting that somebody has done this, but I want to see it in person. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/16 "2008-01-29T04:55:47Z")
[QUOTE=Harmonious Discord] I wait for the day I meet a person with glasses fastened as a piercing on the face. I’m betting that somebody has done this, but I want to see it in person. [/QUOTE] > **[Mint Creation - メンズエステ 電話受付代行](http://piercedglasses.com/)** > > メンズエステ専門の電話予約受付代行ならMINT「ミント」！電話予約、LINE予約、WEB予約、メール予約対応から顧客フォローまで、受付のプロが丁寧かつスムーズな予約管理、顧客管理、売上分析、運営コンサルをさせて頂きます。CTIシステム、CRMシステムは基本料金に含み無料で利用可能。全国対応、年中無休、深夜対応、朝9時〜朝5時まで対応可能！貴店専用のマニュアルを作成させて頂きます。高品質で売上を圧倒的に増やしたい場合は是非お問い合わせお待ちしております！ ---
**Author:** ![Beware\_of\_Doug](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/278dde/32.png) [@Beware\_of\_Doug](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Beware_of_Doug)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 5:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/17 "2008-01-29T05:13:03Z")
:rolleyes: “What has been seen cannot be unseen.” ---
**Author:** ![twickster](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ec9cab/32.png) [@twickster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/twickster)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 12:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/18 "2008-01-29T12:10:12Z")
[QUOTE=RealityChuck] Obviously, one shouldn’t use Three Stooges movies as a guide to how people wore monocles. [/QUOTE] But they’re usually such a reliable etiquette guide… ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/19 "2008-01-29T12:13:25Z")
[QUOTE=MissGypsy] Doesn’t that mess with your depth perception? My eyes are both very near-sighted, but occasionally I only wear one contact for a day or so, and I tend to run into walls and other large obstacles. [/QUOTE] Depth perception? What’s that? Something I have never had. Fortunately, there are close to a dozen [monocular cues](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Depth_perception) to depth that allow folks like me to live normal lives and even parallel park, even if we can’t enjoy 3D movies or those funky stereo images. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [January 29, 2008, 12:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261/20 "2008-01-29T12:17:22Z")
> [@](#): > > [http://www.piercedglasses.com/](http://www.piercedglasses.com/) “My glasses keep sliding down my nose” “So, get one of those sets of pierced glasses.” “I did. Now when they slide down my face, they take the nose with them.” [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-deal-with-monocles/435261.md?page=2)