Before Eyeglasses: A Blurry History

Before glasses, people got creative with their vision problems—using everything from crystals to water-filled globes to make the world a little clearer.

Crystal Balls
Ancient Romans used glass spheres or water globes to magnify text—yes, literal crystal balls.

Reading Stones
By the 9th century, monks placed clear glass domes over pages to enlarge letters while copying manuscripts.

Polished Gemstones
Greeks and Egyptians sometimes gazed through emeralds to ease eye strain—not great for clarity, but very chic.

Trial and Error
People simply held things closer, squinted harder, or added more candlelight. Vision correction by stubbornness.

The Big Breakthrough
Eyeglasses arrived in 13th-century Italy, using convex lenses in simple frames. From there, the world looked a whole lot sharper.