LOS ANGELES (KNX) – There’s a pretty good chance you have a pair on your face at this very moment.
Don’t worry, it’s not two massive spiders. It’s eyeglasses – according to the Vision Council, 166.5 million adults wear them in the U.S.
But where do spectacles come from? How did people sharpen their eyes before them?
Ancient Egypt, possibly.
“There have been artifacts found in the pile of debris from the workers who built the pyramids, polished stones that are clear reading stones,” Dr. Ivan Schwab, Emeritus Professor of Ophthalmology at UC Davis said.
On the other hand, Dr. Neil Handley, Museum Curator at the College of Optometrists in London, said the clue could be found in the word “spectacles.”
“…The first spectacles, even when they were invented in the 13th century, really, really of use for reading purposes,” he said. “It was much, much later on history that they get ones to correct distance vision.”
These first frames, he added, were less attractive than many people would believe.
“So first of all, never look at a movie or a historical drama for evidence of what early glasses look like because it's nearly always wrong,” he said. “The first spectacles were very cumbersome, very unflattering, and actually not that effective.”
Listen to the full episode of “I’ve Got Questions” in the audio above.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM