The idea of correcting less than perfect eyesight was first considered about 800 years ago when an English scientist by the name of Roger Bacon noticed that blurry vision could be sharpened by looking at the blurry image through a curved piece of glass. This discovery was made in 1268, when Bacon took a piece of glass which was shaped like a “lesser segment of a sphere” with the rounded (convex) side facing towards the eye. The effect was to sharpen the blur of the tiny print which was being looked at.
Today there are many ways less-than-perfect eyesight can be corrected, and mostly they still rely on that same, original idea of a curved lens sharpening the objects being viewed so they appear to the viewer in focus. The most common way to correct faltering eyesight is with eyeglasses or contact lenses. However today people can go a step beyond and have surgery to correct their eyesight. Many eye diseases can be repaired with surgery, too, and there are even certain types of blindness that respond to surgery.
No matter whether you wear glasses, contacts, or have perfect 20/20 vision, it is vital to take steps which will keep your eyesight from getting worse, will protect them from injury, and which will help to prevent infection. Most importantly are regular eye exams. As long as nothing is wrong, a visit to the eye doctor should occur at least every two years. If you experience headaches at the end of each day, or you don’t see as well as you used to, then schedule an appointment with an eye doctor sooner.