Salvino D'Armate
Encyclopedia
Salvino D'Armato degli Armati of Florence
(1258–1312) is one of the possible inventors of eyeglasses. It was previously thought that he invented eyeglasses around 1284, although the evidence now suggests that this was a hoax.
In a 1684 history of Florence
, Leopoldo del Migliore wrote that the church of Santa Maria Maggiore contained a memorial honoring D'Armati with the inscription: Here lies Salvino degl' Armati, son of Armato of Florence, inventor of eyeglasses. May God forgive his sins. A.D. 1317. The church has been rebuilt several times since the 13th century, however, and this tomb no longer exists, so the claim cannot be verified.
The earliest eyeglasses were for the correction of hyperopia
(farsightedness) and presbyopia
(age-related farsightedness); eyeglasses to correct myopia
(nearsightedness) were not invented until the 15th century. Early eyeglasses were balanced on the bridge of the nose; stems were not introduced until the 17th century.
The claim that eyeglasses were invented by Salvino D'Armate of Florence has been exposed as a hoax.
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
(1258–1312) is one of the possible inventors of eyeglasses. It was previously thought that he invented eyeglasses around 1284, although the evidence now suggests that this was a hoax.
In a 1684 history of Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
, Leopoldo del Migliore wrote that the church of Santa Maria Maggiore contained a memorial honoring D'Armati with the inscription: Here lies Salvino degl' Armati, son of Armato of Florence, inventor of eyeglasses. May God forgive his sins. A.D. 1317. The church has been rebuilt several times since the 13th century, however, and this tomb no longer exists, so the claim cannot be verified.
The earliest eyeglasses were for the correction of hyperopia
Hyperopia
Hyperopia, also known as farsightedness, longsightedness or hypermetropia, is a defect of vision caused by an imperfection in the eye , causing difficulty focusing on near objects, and in extreme cases causing a sufferer to be unable to focus on objects at any distance...
(farsightedness) and presbyopia
Presbyopia
Presbyopia is a condition where the eye exhibits a progressively diminished ability to focus on near objects with age. Presbyopia’s exact mechanisms are not known with certainty; the research evidence most strongly supports a loss of elasticity of the crystalline lens, although changes in the...
(age-related farsightedness); eyeglasses to correct myopia
Myopia
Myopia , "shortsightedness" ) is a refractive defect of the eye in which collimated light produces image focus in front of the retina under conditions of accommodation. In simpler terms, myopia is a condition of the eye where the light that comes in does not directly focus on the retina but in...
(nearsightedness) were not invented until the 15th century. Early eyeglasses were balanced on the bridge of the nose; stems were not introduced until the 17th century.
The claim that eyeglasses were invented by Salvino D'Armate of Florence has been exposed as a hoax.