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Vision Aids are amazing! Their history is truly fascinating! As works of art, they have a beauty all their own!
Certainly one of the most significant inventions of all time, they are symbols of man's incredible ingenuity and craftsmanship!
Embrace the profound impact that spectacles alone have had on the human experience over the past 730 years.
Yet they are taken for granted by nearly everyone worldwide!

Starting with the Introduction and Goals, wander through this non-commercial, not for profit, website. You may find it enlightening and informative to learn about these wonderful items many of us use daily. Look at the Table of Contents. This website is the result of the collaboration of International educators and is for everyone’s interest and enjoyment. It is the place where we celebrate vision aids, (and the optical lens), especially spectacles. The Real Numbers of this website keep growing because Interesting Topics and Slideshows are added regularly. All this would not have been possible without the wonderful support of many noteworthy Contributing Individuals and Participating Institutions. To improve navigation of the website, we have added Quick Links for people with special interests.
Watercolor painting depicting an Astronomer, c. 1780, signed “In.’ven’te par Louis Kohl Paintre Imp. et Roi ale”, by Ludwig Kohl (1746-1821) Prague and “JTeuscher (?) Hio: J.T.”, copyright Dorotheum Auctions
Watercolor painting depicting an Astronomer, c. 1780, signed “In.’ven’te par Louis Kohl Paintre Imp. et Roi ale”, by Ludwig Kohl (1746-1821) Prague and “JTeuscher (?) Hio: J.T.”, copyright Dorotheum Auctions.		 Scissors-glasses, made of silver, fold neatly into a decorated silver case, Paris, c. 1830, Oppenheimer Collection. very unusual
Scissors-glasses, made of silver, fold neatly into a decorated silver case, Paris, c. 1830, Oppenheimer Collection. very unusual		 Eyeglass case for two pair, brass, most likely 16th century, Museum for the Principality of Lueneburg, Germany. This was found during the excavation of part of a very old house (at least 15th century) in Luneburg at address #1 Oxen Market.
Eyeglass case for two pair, brass, most likely 16th century, Museum for the Principality of Lueneburg, Germany. This was found during the excavation of part of a very old house (at least 15th century) in Luneburg at address #1 Oxen Market. 		Table Reliquary in the Cathedral Halberstadt, Germany. The relics in this were acquired by Bishop Bernard von Krosigk in Constantinople during the fourth crusade and were then presented to the Cathedral shortly after 1208. Covered with gold filigree this displays twenty-one relics including ones from the twelve apostles, the Virgin Mary, and from John the Baptist. The central area contains a splinter of the Holy Cross and also a thorn from the crown of thorns. Rock crystal windows cover the outer twelve round areas and these crystal windows all have some optical magnifying properties. Therefore they are among the earliest optical lenses in existence.
Table Reliquary in the Cathedral Halberstadt, Germany. This displays twenty-one relics including ones from the twelve apostles, the Virgin Mary, and from John the Baptist. The central area contains a splinter of the Holy Cross and also a thorn from the crown of thorns. Rock crystal windows with some magnifying properties cover the outer twelve round areas. They are among the earliest optical lenses in existence. (Move your mouse to the left and right to see more details.)
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864-1901), La loge au mascaron doré, 1893–1894, Color lithograph, 37.2 x 28.3 cm (image); 50.1 x 32.5 cm (sheet), Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Bequest of Bruno Adriani, 1971.28.3
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (French, 1864-1901), La loge au mascaron doré, 1893–1894, Color lithograph, 37.2 x 28.3 cm (image); 50.1 x 32.5 cm (sheet), Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, Bequest of Bruno Adriani, 1971.28.3 (Click to visit the  museum's website)		 Carved wooden case, for one pair of leather framed spectacles, possibly Hungarian, circa 1680 – 1720, Historisches Museum, Basel This was first noted on Planche 9 in the Madame Heymann book 1911.
Carved wooden case, for one pair of leather framed spectacles, possibly Hungarian, circa 1680 – 1720, Historisches Museum, Basel This was first noted on Planche 9 in the Madame Heymann book 1911.		 Opera glasses, “nouvelle jumelle”, tortoiseshell covered, signed Bautain and personally made by him, circa 1845, Medical History Institute, University of Bern, Switzerland.
Opera glasses, “nouvelle jumelle”, tortoiseshell covered, signed Bautain and personally made by him, circa 1845, Medical History Institute, University of Bern, Switzerland.		 Headstone from a graveyard in Kirklisten, Scotland, dated 1727
Headstone from a graveyard in Kirklisten, Scotland, dated 1727.
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