Queen Street News Toronto

HEALTH : HISTORY of eye GLASSES
The first image magnification makers in the area began to create
technology was developed between
the years 1000 and 1250. Inventors
noticed that convex shaped glass had
the ability to magnify and the first
simple magnifiers, or reading stones,
eye-glasses in various strengths for
hyperopes, presbyopes, and myopes.
A complex grading system was also
imple-mented after the realization
that vision slowly declines with age.
were born. These early magnifying Eyeglasses were graded with
glasses served as a precursor to
eyeglasses.
strengths pro-gressing for every five
years of age.
Eyeglasses first appeared in Pisa,
Italy, around the year 1286. They
consisted of two framed glass or
crystal stones, and were held up to
During the 15th century, eyeglasses
were in popular demand. Peddlers
selling eyeglasses were common on
the eyes using a handle. It is unclear the streets of Western Europe.
who invented these primitive Demand increased signifi-cantly after
eyeglasses, but their use soon spread the appearance of the first
throughout Europe.
During this time, Venice, Italy, was a
Mecca for medieval glass production.
The guild of crystal workers was
established in 1284. In 1300, they
newspaper, The London Press, in
1665. The possession of eyeglasses
be-came an indication of intelligence,
status, and wealth. This view was
shared by the people of Europe,
adopted regulations for the China, Italy, and Spain.
manufacture of ?discs for the eyes.?
This served as a major catalyst for the
future of eye-glasses. By the end of
Germany became a major player in
the history of eye-glasses during the
17th century. The finest frames were
the 14th century, thousands of produced here, although the Italians
eyeglasses were being exported to all
of Europe.
still made the high-est quality lenses.
During this time period, eyeglasses
also became more widely used in the
By the mid-1400s, Florence, Italy
became a leader in production, sale
and innovation of eyeglasses. Glass
United States. The first optical shop
was established in Philadelphia in
1799 by John McAllister, Sr.
of the success of the McAllisters,
eyeglass production developed rapidly.
Companies diversified their
product lines which resulted in
products such as telescopes,
binoculars, and microscopes.
At the beginning of the 20th century,
eyeglass manufac-turers began to
emphasize style as well as function.
Im-proved plastics used to make
frames in the early 1900s presented
new frame styling. By the 1950s,
eyeglasses had become a popular
fashion accessory in Europe and the
United States. Wearers demanded
comfortable and styl-ish designs
which displayed elegance while
remaining functional. Today,
eyeglasses are an accessory that not
only improve vision, but also display
personality.
Optimart, 294 Main Street 416-690-
4649 See Ad page ?.
SQUINTING MAY HELP
Before the War of 1812, McAllister
imported all the eyeglasses sold in his
optical shop. Due to the trade embargo
with Great Britain, he began
making his own eyeglass frames in
1815. He and his son John McAllister,
Jr., distributed the first astigmatic
lenses in the United States. In 1828,
they began to import cylin-drical
lenses which were meant to correct
astigmatism. There were over 300
eyeglass retailers in the United States
during the 1820s and 1830s. In light
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