Eyeglasses where first known as reading stones used for magnification dated back in the early 9th century. It was Abbas lbn Firnas who devised a way to produce very clear magnifying glass by shaping and polishing them into round rocks. Before the modern glasses Emperor Nero's emerald glasses and China's smokey quartz have been used as the early corrective lens and glare protection respectively.

The first wearable Reading glasses were produced around 1284 by Salvino D'almarte and they called it as spectacles, using different type of lenses depending on the condition of the person's eye. Convex lenses were used to correct both hyperopia(farsightedness) and presbyopia(symptom of aging) while concave lenses treats myopia(nearsightedness). However there are people who have both defects such as the famous American scientist, Benjamin Franklin who were using bifocals which were invented in 1784 to treat both myopia and presbyopia.

Eyeglasses evolved from reading stones to the hystorical types of spectacles; pince-nez, monocle and lorgnette. Over time it became more lighter and durable as they found a way to make plastic as clear as glass that would provide better vision correction to modify the focal length of the eye and alleviate the effect of nearsightedness, farsightedness or astigmatism without the risk of breaking.

Glasses can be a major part of personal expression sometimes they are just for building up identity. Like Elton John and Dame Edna Everage, to Groucho Marx and Buddy Holly they were known for their unique eyewear. Seeing without them makes them unknown in the public like used by our favorite superheroes Superman and Wonderwoman hiding in their alter ego as Clark Kent or Diana Prince respectively. An example of a halo effect is seen on the stereotypes where those who wear eyeglasse are intelligent to the extent that people wear designer reading glasses without any reason but to have that smart and mature look. Most of the time they find people wearing glasses to be nerdy and geeky that turns them into wearing contact lenses due to peer pressure.

Contact lenses have been very popular because it makes people look fabulous and most people like wearing them than the modern eyeglasses. It may cost more than the eyeglasses but they cost less than the surgery without the inconvenience of wearing an eyeglasses. Because they are in direct contact with our cornea It requires careful maintenance, safety and precaution. Proper cleaning and disinfection should be done before wearing this type of lenses to avoid infection.

Just like medicines buying or wearing prescription lenses is recommended. Opthalmologist or optometrist uses professional lensmeter to correctly verify the prescribed lens to be used measured in diopters rated at +1.00 to +4.00 diopters. For myopia negative diopter strengths are used. It is not advisable to buy or wear glasses without any prescription or recommendation we may not know that we might be worsening our eye's condition than treating it to make it better. It's better to be safe than sorry.