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Perfected in the 1820s, the Fresnel Lens is a lightweight, low-profile lens composed of annular segments, originally developed for use in lighthouses. The design allows for the construction of extremely large lenses that can collect and collimate nearly all the light emitted by a lamp and project it over large distances. As well as lighthouses, Fresnel lenses are used in a number of other applications, from theatre lighting to lightweight home magnifiers.

SOURCES:
https://uslhs.org/hyper-radial-lenses
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/scienc...
http://www.michiganlights.com/fresnel...
https://www.lighthousefriends.com/lig...
https://uslhs.org/lens-use-prior-fresnel
https://uslhs.org/fresnel-lens
https://web.archive.org/web/200709270...
https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20...