A Colourful History Of Glasses, Sunglasses and Contact Lenses

When it comes to our eyes, there is one thing we know we can use to help improve and protect them ... Glasses. With so many types of glasses available it can be tricky trying to figure out which ones are best for different purposes. Prescription glasses can help bring back vision for those suffering from short sightedness, reading glasses can help those with far sightedness, sunglasses can help protect the eyes from the damaging effects of the suns UV rays and help remove the glare while driving, then there are bi focal, varifocal, polarised, tinted and those for people affected with colour blindness and the visually disabled. Of course, glasses aren't the only option for correcting vision as contact lenses are also capable of performing the same types of tasks. While we will touch upon contact lenses briefly in the article, the main focus will be on glasses, how they came into existence, how they help and how they are changing the lives of those who rely on them.

Statistics As of 2016

In the UK, 2 million people are living with sight loss. While it may seem like a relatively small number when read, the reality is that 1 in 30 people are suffering from sight loss. From those 2 million people, 360,000 of them are registered as blind or partially sighted.

Myopia affects one in three people in the UK (just under 22 million people) and numbers are rising steadily with each passing year. Myopia, or short sightedness as it is commonly known is a condition that causes distant objects to appear blurred while object close up appear crystal clear. Myopia is caused by the eyes growing too long horizontally and causing the light to hit the retina in the wrong place.

Hyperopia or Hypermetropia is what is also commonly known as long sightedness and tends to affect those over the age of 40 more so than those under 40. Of course, that doesn't mean to say that it cannot affect babies, children and teenagers. Hyperopia can affect people in different ways with some people only suffering from close up objects to those who struggle to see at any distance clearly. Colour blindness in The UK affects approximately 2 million people with the most common colour blindness being between distinguishing red and green colours.

So in a world where so many visual problems exist, glasses prove to be a saviour and can help people regain their sight in a matter of seconds. There are even glasses available now that can correct standard colour blindness and help the wearers easily tell the difference between colours they could not see before.

The History of Glasses

The first pair of glasses were invented sometime in 1268 -1289 in Italy. The inventor of glasses remains unknown; however, their contribution to humankind has changed the lives of millions around the world. The first people to wear glasses for correcting vision were monks and scholars and the glasses themselves were primitive in design. There were no arms to them and they were placed at set distances on the nose and balanced to enable a visual correction. The introduction of the printing press in the middles of the 15th century led to more literacy, thus more people required glasses to be able to read the text contained within books. This led to the birth of the industry of eye wear and led to the invention of many different types of inexpensive eye wear.

1700's

The 1700's saw the largest improvement in eyeglasses with the introduction of temples or the arms that run from the frames and secure the glasses over the years. Below there is a timeline which details many of the changes seen with spectacles throughout the years and bringing us right up to modern day specs.

Martins Margins: Martins Margins were round framed spectacles which were gold plated and featured circular horn inserts to help with aiding visual impairments. They also featured arms that reached past the ears and fastened at the rear of the head to hold them in place, even when leaning forwards.

Wig Spectacles: Wig spectacles were particularly desirable during the time when it was commonplace for men to wear wigs both at home and in public. Wig spectacles featured long temple pieces (arms) that extended much further past the ears than regular spectacles. They also feature a flat bridge and loops on the ends of the temples for securing them to the wearer.

Bifocals: Invented by Benjamin Franklin, Bi-focals yet again changed the path of eye wear for the better and helped give a wider audience the opportunity to correct their vision. Square frames with sliding, extendable temples made them a perfect fit for almost every type of wearer.

Scissor Spectacles: Scissor spectacles were commonly worn by men who didn't wish to actually wear eyeglasses. Resembling a pair of closed scissors, the handle would be held while the adjustable eye pieces could be opened into position. Favoured by many presidents of the time including George Washington and Napoleon.

1800's

The 1800's saw the rise of stigmatising those who wore glasses. Glasses were seen as a sign of fragility, old age and bad health. This led to people using spectacles only when absolutely necessary and gave birth to the Lorgnette.

The Era of The Lorgnette

Popularised by the ladies of the 1800's who did not want to be seen as old and infirm, the lorgnette arose from designs based on the men's scissor spectacles. Originally the Lorgnette consisted of a single pair of glasses on a handle that the wearer would rise to their eyes when needed. By the 1830's the design evolved to work on a hinge and spring mechanism that enabled the glasses to fold at the bridge and be concealed inside a whole host of items including fans, pencils and makeup cases.

1900's

With the rise of Hollywood, the 1900's saw glasses and eyewear become a booming industry heavily influenced by the golden era of film and TV. The stigma of the 1800's slowly began to fade and glasses became an everyday norm.

Pince-Nez: Pince-nez literally translates as 'pinched nose' and perfectly reflects how the glasses were worn. There were no temples on the glasses and they were held in place by gently pulling the lenses in opposite directions, placing them on the bridge of the nose and releasing them (much like a clothes peg). While popular at the time, they were notoriously uncomfortable to wear and would fall off easily leading to shattered lenses and damaged frames.

Tortoiseshell: In the 1920's, tortoise shells became all the rage when Hollywood actor Harold Lloyd popularised them. Large, round frames became a must have fashion item and lead to the popularity of temples being an important component of eyewear once again.

Sunglasses: In the 1920's sunglasses also became popular with the introduction of coloured lenses that offered protection to the eyes from UV rays. Invented in England in 1913 by Sir William Crookes, they could absorb both UV and Infrared light. Further adjustments and developments were made over the following years to create sunglasses for pilots in the Second World War.

By the 1940's and with the introduction of plastic frames, eyewear could be purchased in a whole array of colours, styles and sizes bringing eyewear to the masses and making them affordable for all.

Modern Day Eye wear

Today, glasses are not only seen as an aid for correcting vision, but also a part of the everyday wardrobe. The rise in popularity of eyewear has even lead to glasses being made that have plain glass in them and without any vision improving qualities whatsoever. Sunglasses are seen as a fashion statement and many people now own 2 or more pairs which they use for different occasions.

Contact Lenses

While this article is mainly focussing on Glasses and spectacles, it would be unfair not to give contact lenses a mention.  In 1508, artist Leonardo da Vinci illustrated a conceptual design for contact lenses, in 1887 the world very first contact lens is manufactured and is designed to cover the whole eye. 1939 saw the launch of plastic contact lenses which also covered the entire eye. 1948 saw the first lens to cover the cornea only and 1971 saw the release of soft contact lenses.
By 1981, the first contact lenses that could be worn overnight were released and in 1996 the first daily disposable lenses entered the market. 2010 saw the availability of Custom-manufactured silicone-hydrogel lenses and advances in extended wear monthly lenses that could be left in for 28 days without removal in the evening.

How Exactly Do Sunglasses Work?

We all know that the suns UV rays can be damaging to our skin, and over recent years a greater awareness of sun damage to the eyes is now being gained. Sunglasses can help block out between 99% - 100% of both UVA and UVB. UV rays not only lead to the deterioration of the eyes abilities to see clearly but are also a leading cause of retinal cancer. When it comes to sunglasses, quality is definitely better than style. Some substandard sunglasses only offer less than 20% protection from UV rays, while others can provide complete blocking.

How Do Corrective Glasses Work?

While the vision requirements of each person will vary, glasses offer a quick and easy fix for poor vision caused by both long and short sightedness. The workings of glasses are simple and it changes the way in which light reaches the retina thus allowing proper vision to be achieved. When we suffer from poor vision it is usually down to the cornea of the eye becoming distorted and misshapen, glasses over-ride the deformity of the cornea and focus the light entering the eye to hit the correct part of the retina. The same rings true for contact lenses which help focus the light to the correct part of the eye. Certain lenses deal with astigmatism, which is a caused by a deformity of the corneal shape by being worn overnight. These rigid lenses change the shape of the eyes surface for up to 24 hours at a time and help correct vision problems.

Imagine a World without Glasses

Without glasses, many of us would struggle to see clearly. Vision is one of our most important senses and when it starts to fail us it can cause reason for concern. Not only does it make us feel older but it can affect the quality of the sufferer's life. Imagine if you could no longer see the sun setting clearly, or the stars in the sky at night, imagine if your pleasure of reading books or watching TV was taken away from you because all you can see is a blurred mess, Imagine driving into full sunlight without any sunglasses to remove the glare.

While the inventor of glasses is unknown, he or she has undoubtedly had a huge impact on the quality of life of hundreds of millions of people around the world and given sight to those who found it was failing them. The evolution of glasses into sunglasses has helped prevent millions from suffering from retinal cancer and vision loss caused by the damaging effects of the suns UV rays and has removed the stigma that was once associated with poor vision.

Nowadays, glasses are the norm and can be seen in every age range from babies just a few months old to people entering their 90's and 100's. They are no longer the reserve of the rich and famous and are seen as a right for all. With the hundreds of thousands of styles available ranging from luxurious designer brands to the basic pharmacy ranges, glasses are here to stay. They prove as a comfortable alternative to laser eye surgery or retinal implants and help people from all over the world live fulfilled and visually sound lives. While some people may still not like glasses, there is no denying that they have made the world a brighter, clearer and more visually pleasing place to live for the hundreds of millions of people who rely on them on a daily basis.