Ever wondered how this delicate little assembly which we call a pair of glasses, (or spectacles if you prefer), comes into being, and where it ends up?
It’s a fascinating story, which has its roots back in thirteenth century Italy. In 1268 Salvino D’Armato, a Florentine lens maker, decided it was too tiresome to continuously hand-hold a lens in front of any documents he was trying to read. He designed a simple frame which held two lenses and fitted neatly on to his nose. Things weren’t as simple as that, however. As there were no side arms on these glasses, they still had to be held in place by hand, or else the device had a tendency to drop off in use.
Nonetheless, Salvino made his fortune supplying these new glasses direct to short sighted customers all over the city.
The invention of the moving-type printing press by Johannes Gutenberg in 1456 triggered the mass production of reading glasses, as all ranks of society began to read the printed word all over Europe.
In eighteenth century Paris, it was the fashion to have short side arms added to the frame. These new designer glasses were only intended to grip the sides of the wearer’s head. They may have been the ‘in’ thing, and the talk of Parisian salons, but as ever, fashion items are not always designed for comfort. After only a few minutes wear the glasses became very uncomfortable.
It was not until 1727, that the answer to the problem of holding the glasses securely and comfortably was finally solved. An English optician, Edward Scarlett, extended the side arms so that glasses were held in place by hooking the end of the arms over the ears. The English had suddenly appeared as the new leaders in designer spectacles, and glasses would from that date onwards, always follow the same basic design.
It is a popular myth that bifocal spectacles were invented in 1784 by the great American scientist and statesman, Benjamin Franklin. There is reliable evidence he was beaten to the punch by another English optician, Samuel Pierce, who produced bifocals in 1775.
Modern spectacles are mass produced all over the world, but standard lenses are now predominantly manufactured in China. With its own population approaching two billion, and another billion or so on their doorstep, most of whom are genetically pre-disposed to short-sightedness, it is no wonder these economies of scale allow the Chinese to ship lenses all over the world at prices that cannot be matched locally.
When it comes to designer eyewear, Italy, France, and to some extent Germany, lead the way. Not only is it the innovative design that appeals, but consumers like the caché of having a well-known brand name displayed in a prominent position on their glasses. They are generally willing to pay for the privilege.
Local companies finish the process of manufacturing the complete glasses by fitting lenses into frames, designer or otherwise.
The old fashioned way to buy glasses is through an optician’s shop. The optician conducts eye tests in the test room, and then sells the specs he or she prescribes, to their ‘patient’ in his shop. It’s like a doctor selling the medicine he is prescribing. There is a clear conflict of interest.
The ‘savvy’ consumer now takes his prescription form (to which he is entitled under the Opticians Act) and seeks out the best deals. Increasingly, these are available on the internet, where he can buy glasses direct from the factory that produces the finished article. Under ‘distance selling laws’, the consumer is entitled to full money back guarantees if dissatisfied, something that opticians almost never have to face.
When the wearer has finished with his glasses, instead of throwing them away, some online glasses companies, such as Best4Glasses, arrange to collect and re-cycle them for the Third World.
The journey of a typical pair of British spectacles begins in China, is added to by other components from Europe, finished off in the UK and then shipped to Africa as their final destination.
On their journey these glasses lenses have helped the economies of three continents and given comfort to people whose own eyes are not able to cope.
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