Lenses were first invented a thousand years ago, with the earliest being made from emeralds. The legendary Roman emperor Nero used emerald lenses to view gladiator games. Regardless of whether he could actually see better, his precious lenses became an instant, must-have fashion accessory among the upper classes.

Despite the popular belief that Benjamin Franklin invented the first bifocals, historical sources indicate that the concept of combining both distance and near lenses into one set of eyeglasses was invented earlier by at least one other man, the English optician Samuel Pierce.

Lenses cover a very broad category and include some common examples such as eye lenses, camera lenses, and astronomical lenses. Lenses help us see what cannot be clearly seen because the object is at a great distance or our eyesight is weakening.

Some of the most commonly used lenses are eyeglass lenses. When our eyesight weakens, we seek out options such as eyeglasses and contact lenses. An interesting fact about contact lenses is that, although we have achieved many improvements in contact lenses in the past few decades, many people do not realize just how far back contact lens history actually goes- the earliest pair of contact lenses dates back as early as the 16th century, beginning with none other than the great Leonardo da Vinci.

Current contact lens research focuses on improving the permeability of contact lenses, which will significantly reduce a large number of common complaints associated with contact lens wear.

Another great use for lenses is in photography, which is undoubtedly one of the most important inventions in history and has truly altered how people conceive the world.