Eyeglasses

Curated by Blake (image 14)

Before the invention of eyeglasses, people who had lost the ability to read because of old age or poor eyesight couldn't continue to work. Medieval Europe needed a solution to eye sight problems. People's eyesight could be damaged by a variety of things including birth defects, injuries, poor living conditions, and old age. The invention of eyeglasses helped people to see despite these problems. Eyeglasses were made by using a frame (wood, bone, metal, wire, or even leather) to hold together the lenses. Early eyeglasses did not have arms to go around your ears so you had to hold them up to your eye or place them on your nose. (Cybulskie)

This is a picture of early eyeglasses with a leather carry case. You can see the clip to hold it onto the nose.

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One impact eyeglasses had on Medieval Europe is that they allowed people to read and write. . Eyeglasses also allowed people to continue work into their older years when their sight was no longer good. (BEll)

The second impact they had is that the technology of eyeglasses helped with the development of other inventions including the telescope and microscope. (BARDELL)

This is a picture of early eyeglasses with metal frames with a place to hold them up to your eye.

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Interesting websites for extra knowledge

Websites that you can find helpful and interesting knowledge about eyeglasses

https://www.medievalists.net/2016/03/medieval-eyeglasses-wearable-technology-of-the-thirteenth-century/ ( Medievalists offers many articles about Medieval times and this website gives an insight on what eyeglasses were made out of)

https://www.jstor.org/stable/3173638?seq=1 (this Is a helpful link that talks about eyeglasses and the history of them)

https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/345566 ( This website talks about Medieval Europe and the Black plague that killed thousands.)

https://www.jstor.org/stable/24269428?seq=1 ( this website talks about the acceptance of eyeglasses in the Muslim world and more facts about them.)

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