Would These Iconic Glasses-Wearers Have Had Laser Eye Surgery?
What do Buddy Holly, John Lennon, and Steve Jobs all have in common? Their iconic eyewear, of course! But if these celebrities were alive today, would they still sport their famous glasses? Or would they opt for another solution to their refractive errors? In other words, would these celebrities have considered Laser Eye Surgery?
Buddy Holly’s Thick Black Frames
Buddy Holly was a pioneering figure in rock and roll in the 1950s, having already opened for Elvis Presley by the time he was 19 years old! By 1957, Holly had achieved a top 5 album on the UK Albums Chart with his band, which was followed by ongoing success over the next two years.
Sadly, just as Holly’s career was reaching new highs during a tour of the midwestern USA, the plane he was travelling on crashed. The crash killed Buddy Holly, along with two other passengers and the pilot. The event would later famously be referred to as “the day the music died” by singer Don McLean. Holly was only 22 years old.
But despite Holly’s ill-fated, short life, his music and image have lived on in popular culture. In fact, possibly the only thing about Holly that was more iconic than his songs were his thick, black framed glasses.
Like billions of people around the world today, Buddy owed his iconic specs to the most common refractive error – myopia (short-sightedness). That means that, while he would have been able to read music and write lyrics with ease, his distance vision would have left him unable to recognise faces or read distant road signs.
In fact, reports suggest Holly was severely short-sighted, with vision of 20/800. That means he would be able to see at 20 feet what a person with normal vision (20/20 vision) would be able to see at 800 feet!
But while his glasses provided him with clear vision, sources claim Holly was never a fan of his frames. He was worried about wearing his glasses on stage as he thought they would ruin his “cool” image. But with such a severe error, and living in a time before effective alternatives, Buddy Holly ultimately had to accept his now-famous look.
John Lennon’s Round Spectacles
Few pairs of glasses are more famous than John Lennon’s round, wire-framed spectacles. As one of the most influential musicians in history, both with his band the Beatles and during his solo career, Lennon has become a symbol of creativity, peace, and activism around the world.
Lennon’s music, both with the Beatles and alone, remains some of the most popular to this day, some 50-60 years later. In fact, the Beatles are often honoured with the title of best band of all time, and it’s easy to see why. But it wasn’t just their music that the Fab Four was known for. They also became icons of fashion in the 1960s, 70s, and beyond.
From the monochrome suits and sleek, straight hair of the early years to the colourful Sgt Pepper military-style uniforms, Lennon, McCartney, Starr, and Harrison were never afraid to throw on a fun outfit. And yet, perhaps the most lasting image of John Lennon is his long, messy hair and signature round glasses.
Like Buddy Holly, John Lennon had severe short-sightedness that left him requiring correction from the age of 7. But he didn’t always sport his round glasses-or any glasses at all, for that matter. In fact, Lennon opted for contact lenses as a more discreet option. It wasn’t until the late 1960s that spectacles would become part of his signature look.
And we owe this iconic look to Lennon’s role in the film “How I Won the War”. His character in the film, Musketeer Gripweed, sported round, wire-framed glasses, and Lennon never looked back!
Steve Jobs’ Intellectual Specs
Another iconic figure of the last century, Steve Jobs, was also known for rocking round glasses. In addition to his black turtle-neck jumpers, Jobs’ frames made up an ensemble that was almost as recognisable as the apple logo of his technology company.
Steve Jobs found fame after developing what has become one of the most well-known companies in the world – Apple. Alongside Steve Wozniak, Jobs founded Apple in 1976 with the aim of changing the way people saw computers. This mission was eventually realised and now their products can be found in the homes and pockets of hundreds of millions of people around the world!
But why did Jobs opt for his chosen glasses style? Well, of course, the primary reason for his decision to rock spectacles was due to refractive error – again, myopia! But they were also much more than a simple visual aid.
In fact, Jobs stated that he chose the simple, round-framed glasses as a tribute to one of his heroes: Mahatma Gandhi. But no matter his reasons, there’s no denying that those glasses became a key component of Steve Jobs’ iconic look.
Clear, unrestricted vision is the new glasses
The question remains: If these celebs were still alive today, would they still opt for their iconic eyewear? Or would they turn to Laser Eye Surgery to do away with their glasses once and for all?
Well, sadly, we will never know the true answer to this question. But, if the ever-growing popularity of Laser Eye Surgery is anything to go by, we’re sure we could have a pretty good guess…
Since its introduction in the late 1980s, Laser Eye Surgery has become more effective and accessible than ever before. Far from simply being a treatment for short-sightedness, Laser Eye surgery can now successfully correct all refractive errors, including presbyopia!
If you’d like to ditch your glasses – no matter how iconic they might be! – Laser Eye Surgery could be the perfect solution. Get in touch with one of our clinic coordinators or Book a Consultation today to learn more!
