Eyeglasses might be one of the most useful objects of our daily life; but surprisingly the circumstances of its invention remain quite unclear. 

The Antiquity (700 BC - 400 AD)

The interest for optics started a long time ago, dated back to Antiquity. The earliest known lenses were found among the rest of the Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations. Lenses in antiquity seem to have been predominantly polished crystal, mainly quartz, and were plano-convex ground for use in magnifying objects or burning glass to start fire by concentrating the sun’s rays on a small area, or to erase writings on wax tablets. The oldest lens is called the “Nimrud Lens”, belonging to the Assyrian civilization.  This lens is 3000 years old.

Theories of optics were developed by trial and errors made by the Greek and Roman philosophers. Plato was the first to seriously propound the emission theory, which states the proposal that visual perception is accomplished by rays of light emitted by the eyes. These ideas were later extended by Muslim savants, such as Alhazen. Many manuscripts refer to the use of stone and crystal. As far as we know, Nero the Roman Emperor was using an emerald to better see the gladiators’ fights.