History of Safety Glasses

It has been reported that Seneca - the Roman statesman, dramatist, and philosopher (4 BC-65 AD) - used a glass globe filled with water as a magnifier to read "all the books of Rome."  Around the year 1000, glass blowers in Italy are credited with producing reading stones made of solid glass. These devices were similar to hand-held magnifying lenses of today. In the mid-13^th century, English philosopher and scientist Roger Bacon reported on the use of reading lenses. It's unclear whether he was referring to reading stones or lenses in frames.

    More History on Eyewear: 

• Most historians believe monks or craftsmen in Pisa (or perhaps Venice), Italy produced the first form of eyeglasses around 1285-1289.
• In 1352, the first known artistic representation of the use of eyeglasses were paintings by two Italian artists.
  
• Eyeglasses for distance vision appeared sometime in the early 1400's.
• It has been reported that Pope Leo X (1475-1521), who was very nearsighted, wore eyeglasses with concave lenses for hunting and claimed they enabled him to see better than his companions.
• In the 1600's, spanish craftsmen create the first eyeglass frame temples.  They attach ribbons of silk or strings to the frame and loop them over the wearer's ears.
• In 1730, London Optician Edward Scarlett introduces rigid temples that rest atop the wearer's ears.
• In 1752, London medical instruments designer James Ayscough designs spectacles with double-hinged temples, which become widely popular.  He also introduces green and blue tinted lenses to reduce glare.
• In 1784, American Benjamin Franklin invents Bifocal lenses.
• In 1799, Scotsman John McAllister, Sr. opens the first optical shop in America in Philadelphia.
• In 1800, The monocle (first called an eye ring) is introduced in England.  Monocles remain  popular in Europe among men in society's upper class throughout the 1800's.
• In 1825, Englishman Sir George Airy designs the first lenses to correct astigmatism.
• In 1826, Trifocal lenses are introduced by John Hawkins - inventor, musician, and engineer of London and Philadelphia.
• Finally, On November 2, 1880, a patent was granted to an African American gentleman named Mr. P. Johnson for his invention of "Eye Protectors".
• In 1909, Dr. John Borsch, Jr. introduces fused bifocal lenses, making bifocals thinner and more attractive than Franklin-style bifocals.
• In 1958, Essilor International of France introduces the first progressive multifocal lens, naming it Varilux.
  

About The Inventor of Safety Glasses: 

The only historical data that is available pertaining to the invention of Eye Protection is an African American inventor by the name of  P. Johnson. Mr. Johnson was granted a patent for the "Eye Protector" On November 2, 1880.

WWI Eye Protection:

It was not until the outbreak of World War I that safety glasses found their first practical, wide-scale application: as the lenses or Safety Spectacles for gas masks. Manufacturers found it relatively easy and inexpensive to fashion small ovals of laminated safety glass, and the lenses provided military personnel with a kind of protection that was desperately needed but had been impossible until that time. After automobile executives examined the proven performance of the new glass under the extreme conditions of battle, safety glass’s major application became car windshields.

Further Development of Protective Eyewear:

 
Who should wear safety glasses?

Why don’t workers wear safety glasses?

Style is the #1 reason. Workers feel they look awkward or nerdy. When it comes to eye safety this is no excuse. Here are some popular lame excuses why employees do not wear eye protection at work:

• They cannot see through the lens. It is dirty, foggy, or scratched
• The safety glasses provided are uncomfortable
• They get headaches from wearing safety glasses
• They wear prescription glasses instead. (This may be acceptable with side shields).
  
• They have lost their safety glasses
• It is not enforced. Managers themselves do not comply with safety 

A Word To The Wise:

If you are an employer and accept excuses like the ones above then you are setting yourself up for failure and you probably do not take the safety of your employees seriously. I wouldn't think that this nonsense is happening in any professional atmosphere today, but if in fact it is you have 2 options.

1. Continue to let your employees do what they want and pay the price when they get injured and pay again when OSHA shows up. OR,
2. Take control of your safety program and insist that employees comply with your regulations for their own good and for the sake of your business. The choice is yours.

Eye Injuries at Home? 

Lately, More Eye Accidents are Occurring at Home/VS Work. WHY you ask? Because we are more complacent at home when we are doing things around the house. We are required to use Safety Eyewear work but not at home, so much of the time we don't use Protective Eyewear around the house. Your eyesight can be extremely vulnerable when you're working on home repair, in a workshop or doing other do-it-yourself projects. Chips of metal may fly from a badly hit nailhead or from a screw-head when a power bit slips. Saws, routers and other power tools can throw sawdust and wood chips with great force and speed. The vast majority of all eye injuries can be avoided with proper safety practices and protective eye wear.

 Read this helpful article: All about eye protection

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