The invention of printing and the distribution of more and more books led to a higher demand for prescription glasses: people needed better vision and help to read. The most significant developments around glasses started happening during the 17th century. Most importantly, glasses slowly transitioned from just magnifying words to correcting vision.

Here are the most significant steps in the development of glasses:

In the 1600s: concave lenses are invented to improve distance vision.

1727: temples finally make their appearance thanks to optician Edward Scarlett, making glasses more structured and stable on the face

1784: Benjamin Franklin invents the bifocals dividing lenses into two zones: one for distance vision, one for near vision

1827: Thomas Young discovers astigmatism and later invents cylindrical lenses that are now used to correct it

1959: Bernard Maitenaz invents progressive lenses, giving up on the line that used to divide bifocal lenses

1950-60: hard plastic contact lenses are being used and become more common

During the 19th & 20th centuries, the development of eyewear continues, and glasses are constantly redesigned with thinner lenses and different frame designs. Glasses today are made with lightweight materials, such as plastic or metal, to ensure comfort and durability; this was not the case many years ago, as lenses were made with heavy glass, and frames were made of leather or bone.