THEGLASSES

Glasses (i.e. Eyeglasses or Spectacles) are very common items worn by the characters in Carl Barks' duck universe. This page is not intended to be a guidebook to different types of glasses but merely to show just how diverse Barks was when it came to portraying characters wearing glasses. In many ways Barks was a victim of habitual thinking: Brusque characters such as policemen or military personnel never wear glasses, while intellectual characters such as professors and doctors most often do. Furthermore, Barks had a tendency to let secondary characters with glasses and side-pieces be doglike characters, because they have natural ears to support them, while glasses without side-pieces are most frequently worn by birdlike characters that have no visible ears.

In any case, we are not told if the characters are nearsighted or farsighted. Barks did not help us solving the mystery regarding the primary characters, because in the few panels where we are partly able to look through - for instance - Scrooge's glasses there is no distortion whatsoever reflected in his pince-nez.

Trivia: Barks himself began to wear glasses regularly in the beginning of the 1960s, but he actually started working with them much earlier as you can see HERE.

THE PRIMARY CHARACTERS WHO USE GLASSES REGULARLY
Scrooge McDuck Scrooge was first seen wearing glasses with side-pieces but they were soon changed to a pince-nez with large lenses. Shortly after Scrooge was drawn wearing a pince-nez with smaller lenses.	Gyro Gearloose Gyro is wearing the exact same glasses as Scrooge but due to his narrower beak the bridge between the lenses is somewhat shorter.	Grandma Duck Grandma has changed glasses several times; usually she wears them with side-pieces and the glasses have been both round and crescent-shaped.
Flintheart Glomgold Glomgold was created as an evil doppelganger to Scrooge which also means that his character and looks are very similar. His pince-nez has thicker frames, though.	Glittering Goldie When Scrooge first encountered Goldie in Klondike she was a young girl in no need of glasses. At their second meeting more than 50 years later, time had taken its toll and she wears glasses.	Emily Quackfaster Scrooge's trusty secretary is a stern and efficient elderly woman who wears glasses that seem to be securely fastened to her hair.

THE PRIMARY CHARACTERS WHO USE GLASSES IRREGULARLY
Donald Duck Donald often uses glasses in a disguise.	The Beagle Boys This is also the case with the Beagle Boys.	Magica de Spell Magica travels in many disguises.
Black Pete Pete is unrecognizable in his disguise.	Johnny the Bull Grandma's bull must not see the colour Blue.	General Snozzie The bloodhound can track without seeing.

BONUS
Barks wrote a few stories in which glasses played an important role. Here are three examples:
U$21 The Money Well Scrooge can no longer use the glasses he bought back in Scotland in 1885 for 1 dollar. After having several mishaps due to his poor vision he reluctantly feels compelled to buy a new pair.	U$38 The Unsafe Safe Scrooge's scientists have invented a new type of glass that is indestructible. A pair of glasses made from the new material easily resists hammering, welding and being thrown under a street roller.	WDCS091 'Garden Party' Donald buys a pair of hypnotizer glasses in order to force his nephews to help him out at his garden party. Soon the four ducks and Daisy act like monkeys thereby ruining the party for the invited guests.

MONOCLES (A type of eye-piece used to correct the vision in only one eye)

PINCE-NEZS (Glasses that clip onto the bridge of the nose using a spring)

SAFETY PINCE-NEZS (Glasses that clip onto the bridge of the nose using a spring and are tied to the clothes by a ribbon)

LORGNETTES (Rimmed glasses with a handle by which to hold them in place)

SUNGLASSES (Darkened glasses to screen out strong light from the eyes)

RIMMED GLASSES WITH EYE-PIECES

THICK-RIMMED GLASSES WITH EYE-PIECES