History Main / UniversalEyeglasses

In reality, the range and extent to which one suffers from nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, or any other ailment that impairs vision varies from person to person. Ideally, a number of tests are performed on an individual to determine the type and strength of the lenses required for vision correction. Afterwards, the frames of the glasses must be properly adjusted so that they can be worn without the risk of slipping off the face of the wearer. This is not always the case in fiction. The trope typically goes as follows:

Bespectacled beauty and CoolTeacher Alice asks her student Bob to read what she has written on the board. However, something seems wrong. Bob is squinting more than usual. In response, Alice knowingly takes off her own glasses and puts them on Bob's face. He is able to read the board perfectly.

Does it matter that Alice is much older than Bob? That they might have differing facial structures? That their vision may be impaired to differing degrees? Or even in radically different ways? Not at all. If this trope is in play, the eyeglasses will always work.

* In ''VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor'', grumpy chef Zess T loses a contact and demands everyone stop moving while she looks for it. The game leaves Mario [[ButThouMust no choice]] but to move or jump, and he inevitably steps right on it. At this point Zess [[NPCRoadblock blocks the archway]] into east Rogueport until Mario buys her a replacement from a local bazaar -- no prescription needed, but it takes all of Chapter 1 to arrive.

* ''WesternAnimation/SofiaTheFirst'': Sofia's friend Jade is suddenly terrible at dazzleball. When Baileywick's glasses get knocked off, Sofia suddenly realizes that this must be Jade's problem and asks Baileywick if he has any spares. He does, and suddenly Jade's back to being the best player on the team. While Jade does mention that she's going to go to a doctor to get a proper prescription, it doesn't explain why an 8 year old girl whose vision is fine outside of a sport that relies heavily on hand-eye coordination is helped by wearing the same glasses as an older-middle-aged man who's practically BlindWithoutEm.

* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheAzranLegacy'': One of the side trips in chapter four is solved by giving the village chief a pair of glasses. That the professor made himself out of some crystals. Without even so much as asking the chief or anyone else if his vision is bad.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys'' has an example. The episode entitled "Pal Joey" has Eliza agree to babysit a mischievous Kangaroo named Joey. It quickly becomes too much for her to handle due to his manic behavior. At one point he steals her glasses, places them onto his own face and declares himself a "Googly Human". He has no trouble using them and they fit him perfectly. Unfortunately, poor Eliza is BlindWithoutEm (implying that the lens prescription is strong enough that Joey really ought to be blind ''with'' 'em).

* Used in ''Manga/DrStone''. After crafting a set of corrective lenses for Suika who is ''extremely'' short-sighted during the tournament to decide the next chief of the village her watermelon helmet (which has the lenses built in in place of actual glasses) winds up on Kinro's head, correcting his vision and allowing him to win his match, as well as allowing him to admit that his eyesight is also less than perfect but implied to be nowhere near to the same degree as Suika who's lenses logically should have overcorrected.

[[SexySpectacles Bespectacled beauty]] and CoolTeacher Alice asks her student Bob to read what she has written on the board. However, something seems wrong. Bob is squinting more than usual. In response, Alice knowingly takes off her own glasses and puts them on Bob's face. He is able to read the board perfectly.

* ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'': Dave gives Simon a pair of glasses from a Santa Claus decoration after noticing his uncoordinated behavior. They instantly correct his vision.

Does it matter that Alice is much older than Bob? That they might have differing facial structures? That their vision may be impaired to differing degrees? Not at all. If this trope is in play, the eyeglasses will always work.

* During a ChainOfDeals in VideoGame/Yakuza1, a homeless man is given a coat that the player got in an earlier trade. The homeless man rewards the player with some eyeglasses which the player then takes the glasses to a business man wanting to see a strip club. The player gives the glasses to the business man, without questioning the prescription.

* A related phenomenon in fiction is the idea that any pair of glasses can be used to focus light down to a point like a magnifying glass, typically to start a fire. In reality, this only works with cheap drugstore magnifier glasses, or specific prescriptions for farsightedness. In particular, nearsighted lenses have a negative focal length, which diffuses light rather than focusing it.

[[quoteright:350:[[Manga/{{Naruto}} https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/glasses_again.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:350:One prescription fits all.]]

* Likewise averted in ''Series/{{Lost}}'': when it turns out Sawyer needs glasses, Jack scrounges up as many leftover pairs from the crash as possible, and they spend a whole scene trying out different ones on him until they find one pair that more or less fits.
* In the "Cleveland Rocks" opening segment of Series/TheDrewCareyShow, Drew's glasses get broken. The sequence includes Drew and his friends going to the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and stealing the glasses of off the Buddy Holly statue, which appear to be perfect substitutes.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys'' has an example. The episode entitled "Pal Joey" has Eliza agree to babysit a mischievous Kangaroo named Joey. It quickly becomes too much for her to handle due to his manic behavior. At one point he steals her glasses, places them onto his own face and declares himself a "Googly Human". He has no trouble using them and they fit him perfectly. Unfortunately, poor Eliza is BlindWithoutEm.

Compare GlassesCuriosity, as the two can and sometimes do overlap provided a character is able to see perfectly while wearing someone else's glasses. BlindWithoutEm and DroppedGlasses are common catalysts for this trope as well. Contrast PurelyAestheticGlasses which aren't meant to provide any amount of vision correction. A subtrope of ArtisticLicenseBiology.

!!!Examples:

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]

[[folder:Live-Action Television]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys'' has an example. The episode entitled "Pal Joey" has Eliza agree to babysit a mischievous Kangaroo named Joey. It quickly becomes too much for her to handle due to his manic behavior. At one point he steals her glasses, places them onto his own face and declares himself a "Googly Human" He has no trouble using them and they fit him perfectly. Unfortunately poor Eliza is BlindWithoutEm.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/glasses_again.jpg]]

* Used in ''Manga/DrStone''. After crafting a set of corrective lenses for Suika who is ''extremely'' short sighted during the tournament to decide the next chief of the village her watermelon helmet (which has the lenses built in in place of actual glasses) winds up on Kinro's head, correcting his vision and allowing him to win his match, as well as allowing him to admit that his eyesight is also less than perfect but implied to be nowhere near to the same degree as Suika who's lenses logically should have overcorrected.

** In ''VideoGame/Fallout4'', the character earns Perception Bonuses each times he wears the relevant glasses, notwithstanding the kind of corrective glasses he wears or the existence of any visual issues.

* TruthInTelevision up to a point -- even a weaker or slightly stronger prescription not made for a given person can be better than nothing at all. But if the lenses are too strong, made to correct farsightedness instead of nearsightness or vice-versa, made for a person with noticeable astigmatism, etc, then they might not be much use.

* ''Anime/{{Naruto}}'' features this. When Kabuto arrives at Konoha's Orphanage, he is required to read the clock to ensure that he's getting a full grasp of the schedule to which they adhere. The nun who runs the orphanage notices that he's squinting and gives him her glasses allowing him to answer correctly.

* ''Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks'' Dave gives Simon a pair of glasses from a Santa Claus decoration after noticing his uncoordinated behavior. They instantly correct his vision.

* ''Series/BrooklynNineNine'': Subverted. Amy and Jake recall having swapped contact lenses once by mistake and thought they were having strokes due to the severe difference in their prescriptions drastically messing with their vision.

*
** ''VideoGame/{{Fallout}}:''

* ''VideoGame/ProfessorLaytonAndTheAzranLegacy'' one of the side trips in chapter four is solved by giving the village chief a pair of glasses. That the professor made himself out of some crystals. Without even so much as asking the chief or anyone else if his vision is bad.

* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/AdventureTime'' sees Finn try to increase his intelligence in order to impress Princess Bubblegum. He obtains a pair of glasses from Choose Goose. Said glasses [[GeniusSerum endow the wearer with supreme intelligence]] [[ArtifactOfDoom and with insanity.]] Finn's vision is pretty much the only thing that remains unaffected by them despite the fact he doesn't usually wear any sort of prescription (Thus his vision should have been a blur) and obtained them from an acquaintance.