The history of glasses

About 1,000 years ago, very few people had the need, or ability to read and write. Most of them were monks. As they grew older, reading and writing, in not very well lighted rooms, became very difficult (due to what we now call PRESBYOPIA). At that time, monks were able to make "Reading Stones".

The "Reading Stones" were a section of a spherical clear and polished natural Glass (quartz). Imagine a ping-pong ball made of transparent and polished glass: if you cut the ball in two equal sections, you have two reading stones or actually what we now call, PLANO-CONVEX magnifying lenses.

By trial and error, the monks realized that larger stones, ones with a larger spherical radius, would give less magnification than smaller stones, and the flat part of the stone did not have to be the middle of the sphere.

13th Century

The master-glassmakers of Venice began making spectacles at the end of the 13th century. The glasses were actually two magnifying lenses connected by hinge or pivot mechanism (with an inverted V shape), which could be made from wood, metal, or baleen and in later times copper wire.

These "Plus Lenses" glasses were only for correcting close distance vision (presbyopia and farsightedness). There are paintings of monks using these eyeglasses dating to the middle of the 13th century. Also, there is a church in Zaragoza, Spain that has statues of monks, one having a pair of early eyeglasses (circa 1,490).

15th and 16th Centuries

A significant development in the making of eyeglasses was the introduction of the concave lenses, solving the problem of nearsightedness (distance vision).
As in the previous post, eyeglasses for distance vision have what is called Minus Power Lenses: these lenses move the focal point from the front of the retina onto the retina itself.

17th Century

One of the major problems for the eyeglasses was how to keep them on. One solution was to have some string or ribbons attached to the lenses and loop them over the ears.

18th Century

Finally, the side temples were invented and have stayed with us for centuries! Temples with sliding extension were introduced in Europe.

Benjamin Franklin developed the bifocal eyeglasses. He needed eyeglasses for distance and close vision and he got tired of changing eyeglasses when he changed his vision from distance to close or vice versa. He had the lenses cut in halves, and mounted the distance vision half lens on the upper part and the close vision half lens on the lower part of the eyeglasses frames.

The Lorgnette became very popular with people who could not wear eyeglasses.


19th Century
Cylindrical lenses to correct Astigmatism were introduced.

The monocle (one lens) became very popular in Germany

At the end of the century, pinch-nose (Pince-Nez) eyeglasses were well established because of its convenience.

20th Century

Early in the century, eyeglasses frames began to be designed with fashion in mind.

By the 1945, a number of different Contact Lenses were available: By the 1970's, with greater improvement in the design of contact lenses (soft lenses),a large number of people started to use them.

And finally, eye surgery: Radial Keratotomy for Nearsightedness, and later, eye surgery using Laser and computers became well established for solving Farsightedness, Nearsightedness and Astigmatism (PKR and LASIK).

Some experimental techniques are being explored to correct Presbyopia.