Glass is one of the most important materials that was ever invented. Without it, the world will be unrecognizable. By definition, glass is an amorphous solid that is made by heating up ordinary sand until it melts and it can be molded into different shapes and sizes.
Look around and there’s not a day that goes by without you seeing glasses. They are being used everywhere around the world. Transparency, dustproof, waterproof, availability in different colors, resistance to abrasion, rust, and weather, and recyclable and some of the characteristics and advantages of glass.
Here are the most common uses of glass in our daily lives and how it has helped in improving people’s lives.
Health and Medicine
Advances in medicine will not be possible without glasses. They are being used as eyeglasses for people who are ocularly challenged; laboratory equipment such as microscopes and flasks; pharmaceutical glass containers for storing and keeping the potency of different kinds of medicine; X-rays shielding glass to protect others from radiation; glasses for security purposes and many more.
Nowadays, glasses have been proven to be very useful during the pandemic. In fact, according to researchers in China, of the 276 patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in Suizhou, China, the number of people who wear eyeglasses daily was lower than that of the local population (5.8% vs 31.5%). This means that people who wear glasses may be less likely to contract the virus.
Apart from this, glasses have been helpful in hospitals as room divisions. Because of its transparency, it’s easy to look through it especially if there are patients that need immediate and critical care. It can also provide protection to healthcare workers as the virus can’t go through it and glasses can be easy to disinfect.
Houses and Buildings
Glasses that are used in building constructions are also known as architectural glass. There are many kinds of glasses but the most commonly used in construction are float, tinted, toughened, laminated, shatterproof, extra clean, double-glazed, chromatic, glass wool, and glass blocks.
Because of the properties that were mentioned earlier, glasses can be considered as one of the most popular materials in construction. As a matter of fact, glasshouses and buildings have been trending nowadays where they use glasses as windows.
The main advantage of it is it can provide natural lighting from the sun, therefore, reducing the need for lightbulbs and can reduce electricity costs. These days, it’s important to save all the money that you can so you can allocate more into your emergency funds. It’s economic, sustainable, and helps in saving the environment in the long run.
Another use of glass in houses are they can be used in home furniture such as table tops, drinking glasses, plates, and cookwares. If you’re a fan of cooking, you might be familiar with the famous cookware known as Pyrex.
Business and Security
There can be many uses of glasses in the business industry. If you are a jewelry business owner, glasses can be used for showcasing your products while protecting the product itself from any possible outside damages.
Glasses can be easily blown, pressed, or drawn to any shape and offers a wide variety of colors. This can help in adding designs to your business to make it aesthetically pleasing to people and potential clients.
Glasses can also be used to provide security to high profiles and in your business as well especially if it involves a lot of money. You can use tinted glasses instead of transparent ones and there are bulletproof glasses for your added safety.
Bulletproof glasses or ballistic glasses are usually seen in financial institutions such as banks and police stations and cars. Police may encounter gunfires when on duty and this will provide added protection for them.
Arts, Technology, and Entertainment
Glasses are also used in arts. A famous use of it is in cathedrals and chapels all over the world. There’s also glass art where artists use glasses as their canvas or medium. There are famous schools and ateliers in New York that promotes blowing glass as their art.
In the entertainment industry, the most famous use of glass is the lens. Lenses can be found in cameras and DVD players. And cameras, as we all know, are used in making films and photography. Glasses can also be found on your television, phone screens, and computer screens.
People use glass every day without them even knowing it. It has enabled the further improvement of modern civilization. And it will continue to do so and make a difference in everybody’s lives.
