A Short History Of Eyeglasses

Have you ever thought how difficult life would have been if no one invented eyeglasses? People with poor eye-sight would have faced such a lot of problems while reading, writing, watching TV, crossing roads and whatnot! However, thanks to mankind's innovative nature, today we have a variety of eye-wear at our disposal. Talking about eyeglasses, who do you think was the first person to invent a reading glass? Historians believe that it was popular Roman senator, dramatist, and philosopher Seneca who first came up with something that helped people to read better (a glass bowl filled with water for reading purposes). Later something similar to the contemporary hand-held magnifying glasses were devised in Rome using solid glass. These were used by people with poor eyesight for viewing things better. Another alternate theory states that Italians and not Romans can be credited for inventing eyeglasses. Some historians say that between the years 1268 and 1289, Italian monks in Pisa crafted something similar to eye glasses, and they soon became popular all over Europe. This made Italy home to various optical boutiques. Interestingly, in the year 1289 a member of the di Popozo family mentioned spectacles in an Italian manuscript. Also, an Italian monk called Rivalto came up with the word 'occhiali' meaning eyeglasses. However, if you dig deep into history, the earliest mention about magnifying objects can be tracked back to the Egyptian civilization. It is believed that simple glass lenses were used by the Egyptians around 5th century BC for magnification. Also, renowned Venetian traveler Marco Polo mentioned the wide use of spectacle in China during his visit in 1290s in his autobiography “The Travels of Marco Polo”. The Chinese used spectacles for correcting vision errors like myopia or short sightedness, and hypermetropia or farsightedness. So, who do you think really invented eyeglasses, the Egyptians, the Romans, or the Italians? Well, it is still a debatable topic, but a lot of people can enjoy hassle free vision with the help of this amazing invention. Reading glasses are not only one of the greatest invention of mankind, but it has also become a popular fashion statement. Instead of regular reading glasses, today almost everyone desires for designer eyeglasses. Houston in Texas, USA is a popular destination for fashionable eyewear and popular optical boutiques. When it comes to choosing the right eyewear, it is always better to choose it from a popular and reliable vendor.