History of National Eyewear Day

National Eyewear Day is celebrated every year on June 6, including this year: 2024. National Eyewear Day was founded in 2016 to remind people to schedule their annual eye exam. Eye doctors, opticians and the optical community honor the day by promoting eye health and educating the public about the importance of getting regular eye exams.

It’s also a special chance to show off your fun and fashionable eyewear.

Why is National Eyewear Day Important?

National Eyewear Day is an important reminder that comprehensive eye exams should be part of your annual health care routine.

During your exam, your eye doctor will perform tests to check your vision and the health of your eyes. If you have a refractive error that makes it difficult to see clearly, they may prescribe glasses to correct your vision.

Refractive errors are the most common type of vision problem in the U.S. There are four main types:

Myopia (nearsightedness) – Things up close are clear but distance vision is blurry.
Hyperopia (farsightedness) – Objects far away are usually clear but close-up vision is blurry.
Astigmatism – Vision is blurry vision at all distances.
Presbyopia – Sometimes called age-related farsightedness, up-close objects and text are hard to see and read.

Your eye doctor may also be able to detect signs of other eye conditions and health issues during your exam, including:

Glaucoma
Cataracts
Age-related macular degeneration
Cancer
Diabetes
High blood pressure
Heart disease

Fun Facts About Eyewear

National Eyewear Day is also about eyeglasses. Here are some interesting facts about glasses that you may not know:

More than 165 million adults in the U.S. wear prescription glasses. That’s more than 60% of the total adult population.
Corrective lenses have been around in some form for nearly 2,000 years. It’s generally believed that the Romans were the first to use glass to magnify small print.
Glasses in a frame were invented in Italy in the 13th century and were mostly used by monks who had to hold them up to their eyes or rest them on their noses. Glasses for vision correction also appeared during this time.
Several U.S. presidents — including Teddy Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and Woodrow Wilson — wore glasses for reading or vision correction.
Lyndon B. Johnson, the 36th president, had the most pairs of glasses. He had 53 pairs and kept them in various places in the White House so he would have a pair close by in case he needed them.

Eyewear Innovations

Eyewear has changed a lot in 2,000 years. Some key innovations in eyeglass lenses include:

Bifocals – In 1784, Benjamin Franklin invented bifocals so people who were nearsighted and farsighted only needed one pair of glasses to see more clearly.
Sunglasses – English optician James Ayscough had the idea to add tint to eyeglass lenses to treat vision issues in the late 1700s. Lenses that block 100% of ultraviolet light were invented by British chemist and physicist Sir William Crookes in the 1900s.
Trifocals – These lenses were invented by John Isaac Hawkins in 1827 to correct presbyopia. Trifocals enable wearers to see clearly up close, at arm’s length, and at a distance.
Progressive lenses – French optical engineer Bernard Maitenaz is credited with inventing the progressive lens in 1959. It corrects vision at multiple distances without visible lines on the lenses.
Transitions® lenses – These lenses automatically go from clear to dark when exposed to sunlight then fade back to clear indoors. The technology was invented in the 1960s but wasn’t marketed for public sale until 1991.

The materials used to make lenses and frames have also evolved. Now most lenses are made with plastic or glass, and frames are available in a variety of materials, including plastic, metal, wood, and bone.

Observing National Eyewear Day

Today, glasses are more than a medical device you wear to see better. They’re also a chic accessory that continues to grow in popularity. At FramesDirect, you can find frames to fit nearly any budget, even from iconic fashion brands and celebrity eyewear collections.

From Armani Exchange and Burberry to Tom Ford and Versace, we have the prescription and non-prescription glasses and sunglasses you want to show off your unique style.