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History of Eyeglasses - Timeline

  • Writer: Lauren Curry
    Lauren Curry
  • Oct 16, 2022
  • 4 min read

Updated: Sep 17, 2024

Have you ever wondered where eyeglasses came from? Where in history did they originate? Well honestly, if you weren’t curious, I was!


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The history of the invention of eyeglass technology is very fascinating. There’s so much historical context behind the technology we wear on our faces. With the research I conducted on the history of eyeglasses, I created a timeline. This is so that anyone may be able to see a few key points in history where eyeglass technology had significant breakthroughs.


Historical Context of Eyeglass Technology


I tried to pick the most influential and compelling dates in history where eyeglass technology made a significant change. The first instance of improved vision in history was the invention of reading rocks. These were essentially transparent rocks (crystals) that were split open with an iron saw to make very thin slices of rock. These devices can then be utilized as magnifiers. Later on in the 1100’s these were still being produced, however there was more variety of crystals used. They were more polished so that the magnification was clearer.


Later in the 1200’s these crystals were made with frames. This was the first account of 'eyeglasses.' In the 1300’s glass was used instead of crystals. The glass was shaped in a convex way to see better, which is still an invention we use today, which surprised me as we still use this invention today. What also surprised me was that ophthalmology started in the early 1600’s. In the 1700’s, glasses were made with frames and were placed directly on the face, which were either held up by ‘temple arms’ (arms that extended and tightened to an individual's temples), or the nose.


Benjamin Franklin was the one who invented bifocals in the mid 1700's. This is something I was surprised by because I had no idea Benjamin Franklin was involved in the production of eyeglasses. Soon glasses evolved from just sitting on your nose to having frames that were made of a new found material called celluloid in the late 1800’s. Something that is also notably surprising in the history of eyeglasses is the production and invention of contacts. Contact lenses started out as lenses made of glass. Those were sure to be uncomfortable, thus the invention of plastic contacts in 1930, and eventually the well known comfortable silicone-hydrogel contact lenses in 2010, which we use today.



Why a Timeline?


Eyeglass technology has come a long way from the beginnings of visual correction with ‘reading pebbles’, and has a complex yet interesting historical significance. I think a timeline is a very effective way to show this. You are able to see the most significant advancements in eyeglass technology in a visually appealing way. I also believe that seeing historical context in a horizontal way allows us to see the amount of time eyeglass technology took to be where it is today. I think that what I learned is that even though there is so much information on the history of inventions, while interesting, not all of it is necessary. This is why I tried my best to choose the most pertinent details of eyeglass history.


I am grateful for the historical context behind prescription eyeglass technology, because without it, I’d no longer have the under appreciated value of seeing clearly.




Works Cited on Timeline

  1. Cashell, G T. “A short history of spectacles.” Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine vol. 64,10 (1971): 1063-4, page 29, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1812759/pdf/procrsmed00277-0075.pdf

  2. Plantzos, Dimitris. “Crystals and Lenses in the Graeco-Roman World.” American Journal of Archaeology, vol. 101, no. 3, 1997, pp. 451–64. JSTOR, page 452, https://www.jstor.org/stable/507106#metadata_info_tab_contents

  3. Rosen, Edward. “The Invention of Eyeglasses.” Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, vol. 11, no. 1, 1956, pp. 13–46. JSTOR, page 184, https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/24619648.pdf

  4. “The History of Glasses.” Eyediology, Eyediology Opticians London, https://www.eyediologyopticians.co.uk/home/glasses/the-history-of-glasses/

  5. Rosen, Edward. “The Invention of Eyeglasses.” Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences, vol. 11, no. 1, 1956, pp. 13–46. JSTOR, page 212, https://www.jstor.org/stable/pdf/24619648.pdf

  6. Cashell, G T. “A short history of spectacles.” Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine vol. 64,10 (1971): 1063-4, page 29, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1812759/pdf/procrsmed00277-0075.pdf

  7. Gyford, Phil. “Sunday 28 March 1669.” The Diary of Samuel Pepys, https://www.pepysdiary.com/diary/1669/03/28/

  8. Rubin, Melvin L. “Spectacles: Past, present, and future.” Survey of Ophthalmology, Volume 30, Issue 5, 1986, Pages 321-327, ISSN 0039-6257, page 324, https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/0039625786900640?token=57644D29F71F387C3B57D4BF21014403FC94F68D488166340565B2346B17521001EF96DDD31CB55333754F8F846A50CD&originRegion=us-east-1&originCreation=20230130234457

  9. Cashell, G T. “A short history of spectacles.” Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine vol. 64,10 (1971): 1063-4, page 29, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1812759/pdf/procrsmed00277-0075.pdf

  10. Cashell, G T. “A short history of spectacles.” Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine vol. 64,10 (1971): 1063-4, page 29, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1812759/pdf/procrsmed00277-0075.pdf

  11. Rubin, Melvin L. “Spectacles: Past, present, and future.” Survey of Ophthalmology, Volume 30, Issue 5, 1986, Pages 321-327, ISSN 0039-6257, page 322, https://reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/0039625786900640?token=57644D29F71F387C3B57D4BF21014403FC94F68D488166340565B2346B17521001EF96DDD31CB55333754F8F846A50CD&originRegion=us-east-1&originCreation=20230130234457

  12. Cashell, G T. “A short history of spectacles.” Proceedings of the Royal Society of Medicine vol. 64,10 (1971): 1063-4, page 29, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1812759/pdf/procrsmed00277-0075.pdf

  13. “TRENDS.” Industrial & Engineering Chemistry, vol. 62, no. 2, 1970, pp. 2–2, page 158, https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/ie50062a021

  14. Phillips, Anthony J.; Speedwell, Lynne. “Contact Lenses (Sixth Edition)”, Elsevier, 2019, Pages i-iii, ISBN 9780702071683, page, 289, https://www.sciencedirect.com/book/9780702071683/contact-lenses#book-description

  15. Ţălu, Ştefan; Ţǎlu, M; Giovanzana, Stefano; Rajiv D. Shah. “A brief history of contact lenses.” Human and Veterinary Medicine, 3(1): June 2011, :33-37, page 34, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287305183_A_brief_history_of_contact_lenses

  16. Ţălu, Ştefan; Ţǎlu, M; Giovanzana, Stefano; Rajiv D. Shah. “A brief history of contact lenses.” Human and Veterinary Medicine, 3(1): June 2011, :33-37, page 35, https://www.researchgate.net/publication/287305183_A_brief_history_of_contact_lenses

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