History Main / DroppedGlasses

* ''Series/TheTwilightZone'': A man can find no time to read in peace, but when an apocalyptic nuclear war leaves him the last person alive in a world full of books, he drops and breaks his glasses.

'''Johnny:''' My glasses! I can't be ''seen'' without my glasses!

[[folder:Live Action TV]]

--> '''Sydney''': Hah! [[ConversationalTroping Trope subverted]]! No one is that blind you big pile of idiot!

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'': In "[[Recap/DuckTalesS1E47MagicasMagicMirrorsTakeMeOutOfTheBallgame Take Me Out of the Ballgame]]", while up at bat, Doofus' glasses fall off. The Beagle Brat back catcher steps on the lenses, smashing them. [[spoiler: Doofus still goes on to hit a homerun and win the game.]]

'''Johnny''': My glasses! I can't be seen without my glasses!
** An episode of ''[[WesternAnimation/ScoobyDooMysteryIncorporated Mystery Incorporated]]'' subverts this by having Velma drop them, only for her to put them back on a few seconds later because they were within reach. [[OhCrap And then she sees Nibiru...]]
* Happens regularly to Gus in ''WesternAnimation/{{Recess}}''

* In a variant, Mighty Ray of ''WesternAnimation/{{Hero 108}}'' occasionally drops his removable eyeballs.
* This was WesternAnimation/MrMagoo's main gimmick.

* Milhouse mistook a crab for a dog when he lost his glasses in ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'' episode "Summer of 4 foot 2".

-->'''Costello''': My image!

--> '''Moleman''': Oh dear...*BUMP*...now you've done it...*searches floor for glasses, truck goes off cliff and house explodes*
* Eliza drops her glasses pretty often on ''WesternAnimation/TheWildThornberrys''. It becomes pretty bad when she's out exploring. Naturally her eyesight is pretty bad.
* This happened once to Phoebe on ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' when she was hall monitor. We see students stepping on them as she frantically searches for them.

* Jeremie Belpois in ''WesternAnimation/CodeLyoko'' will occasionally lose his glasses due to XANA's [[MonsterOfTheWeek attack of the week]].

* That said, while you may be able to function to some extent without your glasses, actually finding the dropped glasses can be a real pain -- your brain is constantly suggesting you put your glasses on to expedite the search. Glasses are thin, often dark-coloured, and blend in with so many things. If they fall off your nightstand, they tend to fall in the narrow spot between the bed and the stand, making you fumble around for them in the dark (or dim light), while half awake. Many people who have very bad eyesight try to keep a spare or old pair in a drawer where they can be easily found to expedite finding their lost current pair of glasses.

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales'': In "[[Recap/DuckTalesS1E47MagicasMagicMirrorsTakeMeOutOfTheBallgame Take Me Out of the Ballgame]]", while up at bat, Doofus' glasses fall off. The Beagle Brat back catcher steps on the lenses, smashing them. [[spoiler: Doofus still goes on to hit a homerun and win the game.]]

* On ''Series/ILoveLucy'', when Lucy & Ricky go to Hollywood, Lucy is boasting about all the movie stars she's meeting. When a friend from New York stops by, Lucy and Ethel hide her glasses so Lucy can impersonate (badly) a whole string of famous actors. The payoff comes when Lucy is disguised as [[TheMarxBrothers Harpo Marx]] ... just as the ''real'' Harpo [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHRzyOttJS0 shows up]], resulting in a CrowningMomentOfFunny.

[[folder:Theatre]]
* ''Natasha, Pierre, and the Great Comet of 1812'' has the cruel and crazy old Prince Bolkonsky panic, mid-song, when he realizes he cannot find his glasses, both very upset and afraid, and he bellows for them. Not played entirely straight because we don't know how well he can see without his glasses, just that he wants them.
--> ''insolent girl! Insolent girl! Where...where are my glasses? Where are they? Where are my glasses? Oh, God...I'm frightened...Oh, God, I've aged...I've aged so very much...where are they? Where are my glasses? Where are my glasses, where are they? WHERE ARE MY GLASSES?!?"
** as his [[ExtremeDoormat daughter Princess Mary]] notes, [[TearJerker rather heartbreakingly,]] they're on his head the whole time.

[[/folder]]

>'''Johnny''': My glasses! I can't be seen without my glasses!

* Nowy's DroppedGlasses moments become an OverlyLongGag in ''Anime/GlassFleet,'' which eventually leads to a punch line when, to cheer up Eimer, he intentionally knocks his glasses off his own head and then goes through the usual production of searching for them.

TruthInTelevision: Losing your spectacles can be a severe problem, as anyone who has really bad eyesight will testify. Although it's reasonably unlikely for the lens of glasses to be crushed when stepped on: in most cases, the frame will warp and a lens might pop out, but both are easily fixable on the spot. Despite the fact that [[BrandNameTakeover they are still called GLASSes]], these days lenses are made from lighter and less likely to break plastics.

Surprisingly, losing the single screw holding a lens in place is rarely done on TV. Which, in real life, are far far harder to find.

->''"[[CoolShades My glasses!]] [[IconicItem I can't be seen without my glasses!]]"''
-->-- '''Johnny Bravo''', ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo''

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/DextersLaboratory'', Deedee steals Dexter's glasses and then drops them on the floor for everybody to step on, by the time he finds them the lenses are completely cracked.

* ''Radio/OurMissBrooks'': Mr. Conklin fell victim to this trope on more than one occasion; i.e. "Cure That Habit", "Living Statues", and "Skis in the Classroom".

* Kozue of ''Anime/SeikimatsuOccultGakuin'' constantly drops her glasses and has difficulty finding them again. [[spoiler: To the point that a two-parter about her being trapped in the afterlife after a near-death experience happened because her soul had dropped its glasses... only to find them perched on top of her head.]]

->''"My glasses! I can't see without my glasses!"''

[[quoteright:300:[[Franchise/ScoobyDoo http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/velma-glasses_9456.jpg]]]]
[[caption-width-right:300:On the bright side, they're not contacts.]]

TruthInTelevision: Losing your spectacles can be a severe problem, as anyone who has really bad eyesight will testify. Although it's reasonably unlikely for the lens of glasses to be crushed when stepped on: in most cases, the frame will warp and a lens might pop out, but both are easily fixable on the spot. Despite the fact that [[{{BrandNameTakeover}} they are still called GLASSes]], these days lenses are made from lighter and less likely to break plastics.

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]

* Played mostly straight in ''Manga/OnePiece'': When Tashigi drops her glasses, she scrambles to find them. Zoro actually does safely retrieve them for her -- but then crushes them in shock upon seeing her face.
** Anime-only though. In the manga, he apparently just hands them to her.

* Setsuna effectively wins her first fight with Tsukuyomi in ''MahouSenseiNegima'' by knocking her glasses off. [[BlindWithoutEm She's helpless without her glasses]].

* In ''DNAngel'', Satoshi has moments where he drops his glasses...however, he admits he doesn't actually need them to see. It appears they're actually what's keeping [[spoiler:Krad under control]], so while he can see fine without them this is still a problem.

* ''Comicbook/{{X-Men}}'': Every so often, Comicbook/{{Cyclops}}' glasses or visor will be knocked off or removed. This enforces BlindWithoutEm on him, because without the glasses, Cyclops unleashes [[PowerIncontinence uncontrollable]] power beams whenever he opens his eyes.

[[folder:Film]]

* A RunningGag in ''Film/TakeTheMoneyAndRun'' has characters removing Woody Allen's glasses and stomping on them.
** And at one point he does this to himself to beat someone to the punch.

** You'd think he'd want to nick a pair that ''work properly''.
*** FridgeBrilliance: Even Mr Magoo's eyes would be having the vision of the hitmen from Film/{{Wanted}} compared to having ''no eyes at all'' for thousands of years.

* A sketch in 80s British comedy show ''Series/NotTheNineOClockNews'' involves an intimidating bully who removes a studious-looking man's glasses and crushes them underfoot. "You shouldn't have done that", the bookworm tells him. "Oh yeah? Why not?" "Because you're not wearing any shoes." At which point a pained expression crosses the bully's face and he hobbles away, humiliated.

* A pair of crushed glasses found at the scene of a murder become important evidence in the first case of the second ''VisualNovel/AceAttorney'' game. And in another game in the series [[spoiler: Godot is rendered temporarily blind when he loses his eye mask]].

--> '''Sebastian:''' Jeez, Joseph, all that for a pair of glasses...

[[folder:Webcomics]]

* Sweden dropping his glasses starts off [[http://satwcomic.com/the-wonder-of-glasses this]] ''Webcomic/ScandinaviaAndTheWorld'' comic.

** Which was subsequently parodied in ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'', in the CrossOver episode "Bravo-Dooby-Doo, when Velma dropped her glasses and Johnny dropped his CoolShades:
--->'''Velma''': My glasses! I can't see without my glasses!
--->'''Johnny''': My glasses! I can't be seen without my glasses!

* For most people, having your glasses off is just blurry, but not necessarily to the point they can't operate in general. While walking down the street a person without their glasses may not be able to read "stop" on a stop sign, but they can see the big, blurry red thing and can tell they're at an intersection, so the fact that it's a stop sign isn't much of a logical leap. The blurriness is just like an out-of-focus camera, only it's stereoscopic — some blurs are closer than others.
* That said, while you may be able to function to some extent without your glasses, actually finding the dropped glasses can be a real pain - your brain is constantly suggesting you put your glasses on to expedite the search. Glasses are thin, often dark-coloured, and blend in with so many things. If they fall off your nightstand, they tend to fall in the narrow spot between the bed and the stand, making you fumble around for them in the dark (or dim light), while half awake.
** Many people who have very bad eyesight try to keep a spare or old pair in a drawer where they can be easily found to expedite finding their lost current pair of glasses.

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales'': In "Take Me Out of the Ballgame", while up at bat, Doofus' glasses fall off. The Beagle Brat back catcher steps on the lenses, smashing them. [[spoiler: Doofus still goes on to hit a homerun and win the game.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales: In "Take Me Out of the Ballgame", while up at bat, Doofus' glasses fall off. The Beagle Brat back catcher steps on the lenses, smashing them. [[spoiler: Doofus still goes on to hit a homerun and win the game.]]

* Nowy's DroppedGlasses moments become an OverlyLongGag in ''GlassFleet,'' which eventually leads to a punch line when, to cheer up Eimer, he intentionally knocks his glasses off his own head and then goes through the usual production of searching for them.

** Which was subsequently parodied in JohnnyBravo, in the CrossOver episode "Bravo-Dooby-Doo, when Velma dropped her glasses and Johnny dropped his CoolShades:

* ''TheMrMenShow'': in one part of the episode "Eyeglasses," Miss Whoops, as a stewardess, accidentally loses her glasses when a pile of carry-on luggage falls on her. She attempts to carry on with her duties regardless, but since she's BlindWithoutEm, the [[HilarityEnsues usual ensues]]. At one point, Mr. Nervous gives her his own glasses, telling her she needs them more than he does. This doesn't help any, since they have different prescriptions.

* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/DextersLabratory'', Deedee steals Dexter's glasses and then drops them on the floor for everybody to step on, by the time he finds them the lenses are completely cracked.

* Happens in Film/MyGirl, when [[spoiler: Thomas dies as he's stung to death by a bee swarm.]]

* This happens to Ms. Norbury in MeanGirls when she tries to break up two girls fighting. Unfortunately they get stepped on before she can retrieve them.

* Subverted in the final episode of ''Tenko'' where BlindWithoutEm Bea loses hers and is still able to identify TheMole based purely on tone of voice!
* Col. Potter and Radar of ''Series/{{Mash}}'' drop their glasses at the same time. They pick them up right away, but when they put them on they immediately realize each picked up the other's glasses.

* On ''ILoveLucy'', when Lucy & Ricky go to Hollywood, Lucy is boasting about all the movie stars she's meeting. When a friend from New York stops by, Lucy and Ethel hide her glasses so Lucy can impersonate (badly) a whole string of famous actors. The payoff comes when Lucy is disguised as [[TheMarxBrothers Harpo Marx]] ... just as the ''real'' Harpo [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gHRzyOttJS0 shows up]], resulting in a CrowningMomentOfFunny.

* ''Series/Goosebumps'': This happens to Brook in "Phantom of the Auditorium" when her and Zeke take an elevator underneath the stage. Zeke then proceeds to steal her glasses and run off.

* Inverted and subverted in VideoGame/PaperMarioTheThousandYearDoor. Your own character (Mario) accidentally crushes ''someone else's'' contact lens, but she can still see. She demands for you to get her a new one before you can continue saving the world.

* In a variant, Mighty Ray of {{Hero 108}} occasionally drops his removable eyeballs.

* WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}} once spent most of an episode looking for his glasses, not realizing that they were pushed up on his head.
* Milhouse mistook a crab for a dog when he lost his glasses in ''TheSimpsons'' episode "Summer of 4 foot 2".

* Eliza drops her glasses pretty often on ''TheWildThornberrys''. It becomes pretty bad when she's out exploring. Naturally her eyesight is pretty bad.
* This happened once to Phoebe on HeyArnold when she was hall monitor. We see students stepping on them as she frantically searches for them.
* In an episode of Dexter'sLabratory, Deedee steals Dexter's glasses and then drops them on the floor for everybody to step on, by the time he finds them the lenses are completely cracked.

* Averted in ''SuzumiyaHaruhi''. Yuki Nagato does not need new glasses after they break, and decides to simply go without them.

* In ''TheBankDick'', W.C. Fields' character is trying to keep the bank examiner from looking over the books, knocking off his glasses and 'accidentally' stepping on them. He's dismayed to see the examiner keeps about a dozen spares in his briefcase.

* Olivia in ''FinalDestination5'' loses her glasses in the opening bridge collapse, rendering her helpless as she falls into the water below and is crushed by a falling car.

* ''Film/TheGoonies'': Stef drops her glasses in a dark tunnel and Mikey accidentally steps on them. It doesn't seem to affect her that much, but she spends the remainder of the film squinting.