The Technology that is Prescription Eyeglasses!

Did you know prescription eyeglasses are a technology? I certainly did not!

Prescription eyeglasses are now almost a dime a dozen in today's modern society. Though in some places in the world, the prevalence of prescription eyeglasses is still very dependent on where people live and their financial abilities.

Why am I Interested in Eyeglasses?

As a Canadian, living in a modern society, I have worn glasses almost my whole life.

It all began in my Grade 2 classroom when I could no longer recognize simple letters in the alphabet that were drawn at the front of the room on the classroom chalkboard. After that I got an optometrist appointment and got fitted for my first prescription eyeglasses. Ever since then, I have worn many pairs of glasses as my prescription continuously changes… and not for the better.

Eyeglasses... as a technology?

I have worn glasses for so long that I hadn’t even thought of them as a technology at all. Which is almost ridiculous to think about now, because how could they not be? Eyeglasses are the product of centuries of innovative technology that allowed for millions of people to enjoy good vision, despite the unique problems associated with each individual's pair of eyes. Without eyewear technology many problems would arise in our society, as many people would lose the underappreciated ability to see clearly.

There are many things I hope to discover over the term. I am actually quite intrigued by the innovation of eyewear technology.

I would be interested in looking at the history of eyeglasses and how they came to be so comfortable and fashionable, and what they started out to be as a new technology in society. As someone who doesn’t quite enjoy wearing glasses - I don’t like the look of them on myself personally - I’m very interested in how eyeglass technology has been able to make eyeglasses into something smaller and less visible, which can be placed directly on your eye, known as contacts. I wear contacts almost everyday of my life now - usually when I’m out in public - and I’m so curious to know how something so thin and easy to wear can make my vision so spectacular. Another thing I’m also interested in discovering is the prevalence of eyeglasses in certain cultures, and how eyeglasses can be hard to obtain in more unfortunate places in the world.

Due to the wide range and amount of information about prescription eyeglasses, I think it will be fairly easy to find accurate information about this technology. I think that as I continue my research on this technology, I will find a lot of data on the prevalence of eyeglasses in certain cultures and areas of the world, on the years it took for eyeglasses to get where it is now, and how much influence the eyewear market has on societies. I am very intrigued by what I will learn about this technology this term!