Spectacles & Eyeglasses

Vintage Spectacles & Eye Glasses

Please note: Spectacles for sale are below the text and video

Glasses also known as eyeglasses (formal), spectacles, or specs (informal) – are frames bearing lenses worn in front of the eyes, normally for vision correction or eye protection. Sunglasses allow better vision in bright daylight, and may protect against eye damage from high levels of ultraviolet light. Other types of glasses may be used for viewing visual information (such as stereoscopy or 3d) or simply just for aesthetic or fashion values. Historical types of glasses include the pince-nez, monocle, lorgnette, and scissor or folding spectacles. No one knows for sure when spectacles were invented although documents from the 13th century prove their was existence at that time. Several sources quote a letter written in Rome in 1289 by a member of the Popozo family that says, "I am so debilitated by age that without the glasses known as spectacles, I would no longer be able to read or write." A painting done by Tommaso da Modena in 1352 includes the first known artistic representation of eyeglasses. Historians credit the Chinese with carving the first frames more than 2,000 years ago, but apparently those frames did not contain lenses and were used to protect their eyes from "evil forces." The frames were carved from tortoiseshell, a sacred material. Glasses for distance vision first appeared around the middle of the 15th century, and there is various references in literature of that time to spectacles for "distant vision."; around the same time, the printing press was invented, making reading materials more available to the public and increasing the need for glasses due to the poor sight of the general public. Early eyeglasses were held by hand in front of the eyes or designed to "perch" on the nose. It wasn't until the 17th century that a London optician perfected the use of side pieces that rested on the ears. In 1784, Benjamin Franklin invented a bifocal lens with the top half for viewing at distance and the bottom half for reading. In the 19th century, a method was found for examining eyes and prescribing eyeglasses. Prior to that time, those who needed glasses simply tried on various pairs until they found one that worked. Dr. Donders of Holland wrote the first textbook on examining and prescribing eyeglasses. This book stimulated an interest by eye physicians in prescribing glasses, while opticians set up their shops to fill prescriptions. Some of these opticians elected to also examine eyes and dispense their own prescriptions. This group evolved into the modern profession of optometry. We here at retonthenet are not trained optometrists but love the style and changes of spectacles throughout history which has been affected by fashion and new developments; we always endeavor to keep a good selection of vintage spectacles including pince-nez, folding, round, oval, faux tortoiseshell (celluloid), ote (over-the-ear), sunglasses, straight arm, beaver-tail, cats-eyes, designer, etc....too name just a few examples........

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