The Evolution of Eyeglasses

By Henry Petroski

Applying the principles of optics to a basic human need required both imagination and skill.

This Article From Issue

September-October 2013

Volume 101, Number 5

Page 334

DOI: 10.1511/2013.104.334

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There is a good deal of scholarship by ophthalmologists— in addition to that done by historians of science, technology and medicine, and others—about the origins of eyeglasses and the evolution of their function and form. But the definitive work on their invention is considered to be that by Edward Rosen, a classicist turned historian of science. His life experiences were almost perfectly shaped to enable him to cut through the misinformation and pull together a comprehensive account of one of the most influential technologies.

Reconstructed medieval spectacles show key traits of the earliest eyeglasses. Two lenses are mounted in wood frames, with arms held together by a rivet. Because there is no nose clip or temple pieces, a length of string keeps the glasses from falling off when the wearer leans forward.

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