Simon focuses on the subject. Bruce throws shades.
This episode explores the history of eyeglasses, from their 13th-century Italian origins to the modern-day dominance of Luxottica. The text details the evolution of lens technology, examining both the science behind vision correction and the social impact of increased screen usage. It also highlights the cultural significance of spectacles through iconic wearers and quirky innovations, while discussing the business side of the industry and its potential monopolies. Finally, the text touches upon sunglasses' history and various applications.
More Than Just a "Looking Glass"
Our journey begins with the etymology of the word "spectacle," which comes from the old French and Latin "specere," meaning to look. This root also connects to public spectacles and displays. The word "glass," as in eyeglasses, originally referred to mirrors ("looking glass") and telescopes ("spy glass"), eventually leading to the term "eyeglass". While the term "eyeglass" is technically correct, most people just call them glasses.
A Timeline of Vision Correction
The history of eyeglasses is quite extensive. While the French are credited with industrialising the glasses manufacturing in the late 1700s, with the Morez region producing 12 million pieces a year by 1900, the idea of vision correction goes much further back.
Eyeglasses were made in Italy as early as the 13th century. Due to its high-quality glass, Venice became a hub for eyeglass manufacturing in the 1300s.
Eyeglasses, dating from the 14th and 15th centuries, respectively, are found in Holland and Japan, suggesting multiple independent origins for this technology.
The first specialist glasses shop, akin to a modern optician, opened in Strasburg in 1466.
Early eyeglasses were handheld, sometimes with a stick, and often with a pivot to pinch the nose. These were known as lunettes.
The Science Behind the Lens
Glasses are corrective, using convex or concave lenses to bend light as it enters the eye. This adjustment helps to focus light correctly on the retina, which corrects blurry vision. Common conditions that require corrective lenses include:
Myopia (nearsightedness)
Hypermetropia (farsightedness)
Presbyopia (age-related bad eyesight)
Astigmatism
Opto-mechanical glasses, which have a sliding lever to adjust between two lenses, function similarly to the devices used by opticians when checking a person's vision. This mechanism is similar to the way bifocals function, and was invented by Benjamin Franklin. There are also double-frame or flip glasses which accomplish the same function. Some innovative glasses were even designed for third-world countries, using water-filled lenses to adjust the prescription without an optician.
Why Do More People Need Glasses These Days?

Interestingly, more people require glasses today than in the past. There are two primary reasons for this:
Indoor Living: People spend more time indoors, where they need to focus on objects at shorter distances. This is in contrast to outdoor environments, where focus is less critical. The advent of reading and computer screens has further exacerbated this trend.
Screen Usage: The increased use of screens, LED lighting, and the colour spectrum have negatively affected eyesight. Studies have shown a sharp increase in myopia among young adults in Asia since the 1950s, likely due to TV, mobile devices, and computers.
The Luxottica Monopoly
When you go to buy your spectacles, you might think that you have a lot of choice. However, many brands and retailers are owned by one company called Luxottica. Luxottica is the world's largest eyewear company, with headquarters in Milan and was founded in 1961.
They own several designer brands, such as:
Alan Mikley
Oakley
Oliver Peoples
Persol
RayBan
They also make designer eyewear for:
Giorgio Armani
Bulgari
Burberry
Chanel
Coach
Dolce & Gabbana
Ralph Lauren
Prada
Swarovski
Tiffany
Versace
Valentino
Ferrari
Luxottica also owns 9,100 retail locations worldwide, including:
Sunglass Hut
Lens Crafters
Target Optical
Vision Express
Oliver Peoples
John Lewis
Luxottica's power even allowed them to acquire Oakley in 2007 after they temporarily stopped selling Oakley products in their stores, causing Oakley's stock price to plummet. This raises questions about market monopoly and price hiking within the eyewear industry.
The World of Sunglasses and More
Sunglasses have also been around for a long time, with evidence of their use in China as early as the 12th century. The Chinese used flat pieces of smoky quartz in frames to shield their eyes from the sun. Persol is a company founded in 1917 in Turin by a photographer named Joseph Pirati. Pirati created "the protector," initially designed for aviators and high-speed sports. Persol became known for their sunglasses when Marcello Mastroianni wore them in the film "Divorce Italian Style", and they have been used in Hollywood ever since. Polarized lenses are another area of interest. They reduce glare and allow better visibility in reflective environments, like when looking at water. Polarized lenses are also used in 3D glasses to filter out two slightly different images and allow the brain to create a 3D effect.
Iconic Glasses Wearers
Many famous figures have sported glasses, making them iconic in their own right:
John Lennon: Known for his round spectacles, he was severely nearsighted.
Mahatma Gandhi: His glasses may have inspired John Lennon's choice of eyewear
Albert Einstein: Rumours suggest that he wore glasses to appear more intelligent.
Elton John: A true spectacle enthusiast, he reportedly owns a quarter of a million pairs of glasses.
Fun Facts and Oddities
The world of glasses includes some unique innovations:
Francis Galton, Charles Darwin's half-cousin, invented submersible glasses so that he could read the newspaper in the bath.
John Dolland, of the high-street opticians Dolland and Aitchison, invented bifocal equine spectacles for horses in 1893. These made the road appear to rise upwards, which led to horses taking higher steps that were considered more aesthetically pleasing.
A German company, Mikrion, created the smallest spectacles at 2mm wide using laser technology.
The largest spectacles were created in the Netherlands in 2004, measuring 1.94m across.
The longest chain of spectacles was created in New Jersey in 2022, linking 100,000 pairs of glasses with rubber bands.
The most expensive spectacles are the Duriggo Vision sunglasses, priced at $400,000 and encrusted with diamonds.
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