Glasses through the ages

Even though it's hard for many of us to imagine a world without glasses, there was a time when it just didn't exist! If you are reading this article, you have normally not known a world without glasses since we find traces of the first glasses from the 1 ^st century ( or so you are immortal! )

A bit of History…

The first real glasses saw the light of day in 1284 thanks to Luigi Zecchin to whom we attribute the " roidi da ogli " , the "round glass for the eyes". But this glasses was limited to correcting near vision only.

Then the discovery of transparent glass paste around the 14 ^th century allows the design more affordable lenses and this makes it easier to produce and market them. In addition, following the invention of the printing press in the 1450s, reading became accessible to as many people as possible and the demand for glasses increased.
But it must be remembered that at this time, owning a pair of glasses was something luxurious, not only because few glasses were produced but also because they were made of materials which were at the very least very luxurious: horn, leather or even whale bones. Fortunately for us (and for our animal friends), glasses are nowadays made from much more accessible materials.

Even if glasses were invented in the 14 ^th century, it was not until the 1730s that the first glasses with branches see the light of day! Then comes the appearance of the monocle which gets rid of the latest inventions: a return to precious materials and abandonment of branches. But it was above all a fashion accessory at the time and not really a tool to correct vision problems.

The 1950s marked the rise of glasses, thanks in particular to the movie stars that are now proudly wearing them.

What future developments?

Even if the glasses have changed little or not in shape or technology during in recent years, the evolution around glasses has not stopped however. The democratization of lenses , the appearance of new frame systems for facilitate the insertion of glasses for example or the use of new materials are all ways in which the evolution of optics continues.

After being made with precious materials, then plastic with the oil boom or even metal, eyewear manufacturers are trying to stand out by offering new materials. PSIR has chosen to offer wooden frames optical and sunglasses of quality and to offer a vast collection to the greatest number.