A short history of spectacles, and why lenses changed society

Reading stones appeared in monastic scriptoria before mounted lenses did. By the late thirteenth century Italian workshops were producing wearable spectacles, and within decades they had spread across Europe.

The economic effect

Presbyopia ends the working life of anyone doing fine work in their forties. Spectacles extended that life by decades, and historians link their spread to the expansion of skilled crafts, printing and literacy.

From bifocals to varifocals

Bifocals, popularised in the eighteenth century, split the lens into two zones. Varifocals blended them. Every version traded some field of view for some range of focus.

The modern parallel

Extended depth-of-focus and trifocal implants apply the same compromise inside the eye, permanently, at the same time as removing a cataract.

What has not changed

The right correction depends on how a person actually uses their eyes — the question an optician asked in 1400 and a consultant asks today.

What this means if you are considering surgery in the UK

New technology only helps when it is matched to the right eye. Ms Tahmina Pearsall FRCOphth is a UK consultant ophthalmic surgeon on the GMC specialist register with more than 40,000 eye procedures performed, and she assesses every patient personally before recommending anything. If life without reading glasses is relevant to you, a consultation will tell you whether it changes your options — or whether a simpler, better-established treatment gives you a safer result.

Book a consultation with Ms Pearsall

Consultations are available at clinics across the UK, including London Harley Street, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Reading and Southampton. You can book a consultation, arrange a free 15-minute call, see treatment prices, read verified patient reviews or find your nearest clinic.