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Jan 1, 1000
First visual aid, called a reading stone, was invented
A glass sphere was laid on top of the text to magnify the letters
(teagleoptometry.com) -
Jan 1, 1285
Italian Monks created magnifying lenses for reading
Between 1285-1289
Made of convex shaped glass / crystal stone, they were set in bone, metal or leather mountings and balanced on the bridge of one's nose
(glasseshistory.com) -
Jan 1, 1352
First artistic representation of eyeglasses
Tommaso de Modena’s painting depicts monks reading and writing manuscripts with one monk using a magnifying glass and another with a pair of glasses perched on the nose (glasseshistory.com)
Image - io9.com/strange-and-wonderful-moments-in-the-history-of-eyeglas-507302709 -
Jan 1, 1550
16th Century - Concave lenses invented to assist nearsightedness
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Edward Scarlett developed way to keep glasses from falling off nose
Edward Scarlett, a London optician, developed rigid side pieces to place over the ears to keep them from falling of the face (ehow.com) -
Eyeglasses, c. 18th Century
teagleoptometry.com -
Martin's Margin's created
Benjamin Martin, a London optician created “Martin’s Margins” as a way to reduce the damage to eyes from excessive light. (antiquespectacles.com) -
C. 1770 Spectacles with tortoise shell and silver rims
(i90.com) -
Benjamin Franklin developed the bifocal
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John McAllister, Sr. opens first American optical shop in Philadelphia
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John Isaac Hawkins developed the trifocals
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Now believed that approximately 64% of American adults where glasses
glasseshistory.com
