When I first saw these, it was shortly after I had surgery and I just couldn’t make my brain work well enough to string enough words together to make coherent sentences. Which made me kinda sad, because at that time every single article I saw on them, bar none, talked about how ridiculous they were, how lazy you were if you wore them, and what a waste of money they must be. My immediate thought was…these were made for me! You see, I do an awful lot of reading (average five novels a week). And at that time, I was pretty much immobile, so I spent the vast majority of my time flat on my back on the couch or in bed with a book, since I couldn’t use my laptop lying down. That was still kind of a pain, since I often read hardbound books and they can get heavy.

Prism glasses, though…what a fabulous solution! Sure, on normal days I prop my head up to read, or sit up to use my laptop. But there are times when you can’t do that, due to injury, pain, or simply because you’re somewhere that doesn’t provide enough pillows. And while you could carry pillows or wedges or something with you, a pair of silly-looking glasses would take up a LOT less room, and be way easier to deal with. That’s the thing. They look absolutely silly. But odds are way better than even that anyone who might see you wearing them is not someone you’re necessarily trying to impress with your looks, right?

OK, here’s how they work, if you haven’t figured it out by now. You put them on your face, and the prisms on each “lens” allow you to clearly see objects that are 90 degrees from your plane of vision. Which means you can lay flat on your back and still see something placed on your stomach such as a book or laptop. You can even see the TV at the foot of your bed. Really, that’s all there is to them, but as far as I’m concerned, it’s plenty. Now that I’m well on the road to recovery, I don’t necessarily need them any more, but I still might pick up a pair for travel. Because a fair portion of my reading is done in bed, and there are never enough pillows in a hotel room to prop me up the way I am at home. The only disadvantage I can see here is that they don’t look like they’d be effective if worn over your regular glasses, but I have to admit it’s a pretty big disadvantage.

If you think the risk of ridicule from anyone seeing you wearing them is worth the convenience of having a pair, you can pick one up for $17.00 US.

Source: Funniest Gadgets