Bad Eyesight Before Glasses: What Did People Do?

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History Dose tackles the question: What did people with poor eyesight do before glasses were invented? Glasses are a necessity for so many people today, so what did people do before the they were invented in the late thirteenth century? We look at how farsighted people— from Renaissance scholars and Vikings, to Ancient Romans and Egyptians— may have used magnifiers to combat farsightedness (presbyopia).

We also look at how nearsightedness (myopia) appears to be a modern epidemic driven by lifestyle changes. However, if you were one of the few that were nearsighted, it probably would not have impacted your lifestyle as much as it would today.

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Sources:

Cassidy, J J, editor. “Medical Gleanings from Roman Egypt.” Canadian Journal of Medicine and
Surgery, vol. 7, 1900, p. 43.
Dolgin, Elie. “The Myopia Boom.” Nature News, Nature Publishing Group, 18 Mar. 2015,
Gellius, Aulus. “Book IV, Chapter II.” Attic Nights,
Ilardi, Vincent. Renaissance Vision from Spectacles to Telescopes. American Philosophical
Society, 2007. [Chapters 1 & 3 were particularly relevant for this video]
Jacewicz, Natalie. “What Did Nearsighted Humans Do Before Glasses?” NPR, 7 July 2016,
Pliny the Younger. “Smaragdus.” Natural History, p. 6409,
Whitehouse, David. “Did the Vikings Make a Telescope?” BBC News, BBC, 5 Apr. 2000,

[HistoryDose]

Whoa our first video and we've already surpassed 800 views in less than a day! Thanks everyone--glad to know you like the content. We have much more coming!

[ananthpullur]

As someone with bad eyesight this was very eye opening.

[tmnumber]

As I am someone with awful eyesight I have always wondered about this. Thx for the great video.

[mikemikel]

I knew staring directly at the sun when I was 5 was a good idea

[KhanaHatake]

One likely reason there's more people diagnosed with nearsightedness is because now it *matters* more. As a sheep herder, my extreme nearsightedness wouldn't matter as I could still see sheep far away or wolves closing in, because they're different colors from the landscape. I can cook with very little vision, only needing to see vague shapes and colors. With the aid of a walking stick I could navigate stairs and uneven roads.
But now that I need to drive and do office work, corrective lenses are required. Plus they're just really freaking useful!

[horndoggreg]

I was bounced around from foster care to foster care teachers called me stupid or ignorant because I was getting straight fs and no body payed enough attention I was 15 when they realized I wasn't dissabled I was legally blind and now I'm still dissabled the critical years of learning were lost because of negligence

[kimtvz]

i actually had no idea i had myopia until i tried on my friend's glasses as a joke. i literally just thought people couldn't see that far and was super shocked

[olefredrikskjegstad]

You know, it's interesting to think about the implications of having bad eyesight today. In the technical sense of the term, the fact that I'm nearsighted does mean that I suffer from a disability. It just doesn't feel like it at all because the means to correct my eyesight are very easily accessible. Glasses and contact lenses are completely ordinary to most people, they are accepted and finding out someone needs corrective Eyewear doesn't change your perception of them the same way more severe physical or mental disability does. Bad eyesight and the means to correct for it have become, in a word, normalized.

[slushydude]

I love how the question posed by this video is “what did people do about bad eyesight?” And the answer is “basically nothing”

[dayyylily]

I think there's also a large genetic factor playing in to the rise in nearsightedness - I am VERY nearsighted, I can barely see six inches without glasses/contacts, and both my mother and her brother are the same way. Nearsightedness like this before glasses would have likely made me nearly useless aside from close, fine detail work, and therefore I'd probably be less appealing as a mate, and then not pass on my genetics, you get the idea.

[TikkaQrow]

Hey, nearsighted here. Ended up driving box truck professionally a few years ago. Within a year my eyesight improved (in my late 20s) from constantly focusing on distant objects, signs, etc. My prescription actually was reduced after my last optical appointment. I absolutely believe spending time (30+ hours a week) in daylight, looking at distant stuff, is good for you vision and can even help people as adults to some degree.

[Matt_Fields_]

I have an idea about the rise of nearsightedness: more precise diagnosis. A slightly nearsighted person would likely not even notice their nearsightedness before lifestyles that included reading small print or traffic signs, but qualifies for prescription lenses in the 20th and 21st centuries.

[barbaravick]

I was told I was so terribly nearsighted due to reading an extrordinary amount as a very small child and youngster. I was recently told that was found untrue.
I'm just happy that when they removed my cataracts, they fixed my eyes. First time since fourth grade I can see well with no glasses

[crazyelfprincess]

My dad was legally blind at birth, and not given an eye exam until he was in 2nd grade. They just assumed he had intellectual disabilities. I suspect part of the reason more people are diagnosed with nearsightedness is because of better screening. There may be other factors, but access to care is probably a huge one.

[lisahoshowsky]

The problem for me is I’m so extremely nearsighted that what’s considered “distant” for me is about 4” from my face. I’d definitely find farming and other common daily activities very hard without glasses. I don’t need reading glasses but I need glasses to read.

[keirapendragon]

I grew up on a farm and spent most of my days playing outside, but needed glasses for nearsightedness by the time I was 12. My mother is also extremely nearsighted. I've heard the sunlight hypothesis bandied about a lot recently and I've no idea how rigorous their methodology for exploring the idea has been, but I think it definitely cannot be the full explanation.

[llr]

I've been really nearsighted since childhood, but I always broke my glasses, so often had to make do without. I would make a fist and look through the smallest crack in it and I could focus on a small area. You lose most of your range of vision, but in an emergency, it works.

[carloscastroteixeira]

As physician, I feel happy when a video explains the most accepted theory today (nearsight because of low solar exposition) and not just say something like “cellphones are destroying the youth” as some other channels and television usually do. Great video, I’ll surely be watching everything 😄

[carlosgrandela]

Presbyopia is not farsightedness. That's hyperopia. Presbyopia is diminished near vision that comes with age due to the ocular lens becoming less flexible to accommodate changes in focus, which the eye does for near vision. Kicks in around 40yo

[howtoeataham]

As a person with horrible, borderline debilitating without glasses eyesight, I’m glad to have been born in a time with widespread optical health care 😭