AI Overview of the History of Eyeglasses

 The history of eyeglasses and their lenses includes many key events and developments, including: 

• 13th century

  Italian monks are thought to have created the first shaped lenses for reading, made from beryl quartz. These lenses were convex and worked like magnifying glasses. 
• 1352

  A painting by Tommaso da Modena depicts monks using eyeglasses to read and write. 
• 1600s

  Spanish craftsmen created the first frame temples by attaching silk ribbons or strings to the frame and looping them over the wearer's ears. 
• 1727

  British optician Edward Scarlett invented the modern style of eyeglasses frame, which could be placed over the ears and nose. 
• Industrial Revolution

  Large-scale production of eyeglasses made them more affordable and available to the middle class. 
• World War I

  The war cut off America's traditional lens sources in Europe, which led to the first volume factory production of ophthalmic glass in the U.S. 
• 1972

  The FDA mandated that all lenses need to be shatterproof, which led many glasses makers to turn to plastics. 

Other notable events in the history of eyeglasses include: 

• Abbas Ibn Firnas developed the first corrective lenses in the 9th century. 
• Pince-nez, which translates to "pinch nose", were a 19th century innovation that had a spring clip to hold the glasses in place. 
• The invention of electric light by Thomas Edison in 1879 allowed people to read into the night without straining their eyes.