Florence and the history of glasses: between fake news and technological progress

Abstract

Glasses are definitely one of the most important applications of optics. Yet, although lenses had already existed for a long time, it was not until the late 13^th century that they were used to improve human vision. Vasco Ronchi, founder of the Italian National Institute of Optics, explains this delay by, among other things, a lack of knowledge of the theory of optics and a distrust of what was seen through instruments that could interfere with reality. What Ronchi is convinced of is that lenses were born in a ‘modest, uncultivated environment, against the advice of science’ and even their name (lenses, derived from the lentils they were shaped like) testifies to their popular origin.