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A brief history of spectacles

Do you say 'spectacles' or 'glasses'?

In the UK, we use the term 'spectacles' or sometimes 'glasses'. If you live in America, you will be familiar with the term 'eyeglasses'.

Past sighting of spectacles.

1271 - mentioned by Marco Polo as seen in the court of Kublai Khan
1352 - Thomasso do Modena painted the first picture to show spectacles
1430 - concave spectacles were mentioned by Nicholas de Cusa
1480 - St Jerome, the patron saint of the Spectacle Makers Guild, was painted using an eye glass
1517 - Pope Leo X was painted by Raphael using a concave lens for myopia
1608 - Johannes Lippershey was also credited with inventing spectacles
1784 - bifocal spectacles were invented by Benjamin Franklin
1840 - rimless spectacles were created
1870 - Karl Zeiss and Otto Schott founded Jena Optical Glass Works, the world's first centre of optical glass
1910 - one-piece bifocal spectacles were developed

From Florentine workshop to fashion catwalk..

Invented in Florence in 1268 by Salvino d'Armato, spectacles are today viewed as an essential fashion item, with almost all the major and minor fashion houses giving their names to 'designer frames'.

Fashion models use plain lens - called plano - designer spectacles to complement fashion outfits. Motor companies, such as Porsche, Jaguar, Harley Davidson, and rock groups (Police) franchise their brands to spectacle manufacturers to add value to their image.

Want to know more about lenses?

Origins of the lens
What to expect from an eye test in the UK and Northern Ireland
What your spectacles prescription means
About sunglasses
About lens tints
Myths about spectacles

Interested in learning about eyes? Click here..

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Specs2go Limited, 38 Shop Lane, Brewood, ST19 9EB Tel: 01902 851151
email: info@specs2go.co.uk