A Four-Eyed World is a cultural history of one of humanity’s greatest inventions—eyeglasses—that explores their origins, their future in technology, and more. Along the way, I look at everything from the history of deficient eyesight to the stigma surrounding glasses—how people really feel about those who wear them.

The history part really intrigued me as I was doing the research for the book, especially what I learned about Oxford scholar Roger Bacon who pioneered the science of using lenses to see and then spent years in a miserable medieval cell for advocating that he could “fix” God’s creations by improving our eyesight. 

I think one of the unique aspects of the book is also one of the saddest—the chapter in which I explore the origin of glasses shaming and bullying. It’s not just teasing. Some kids are absolutely tormented because of their glasses—to the point where they commit suicide. I touch on three of their stories in the book. Heartbreaking. And inexcusable. 

But on a (much) lighter note, I also delve into how glasses are made today, where some of the best ones are crafted, and why glasses cost so much. It turns out the cost of prescription eye-wear has three parts: service, frames, and lenses. Services are the examination and the fitting that adjust a pair of glasses to their wearer. Better-trained and more experienced providers charge more. It’s the near monopoly of frame and lens-makers that’s exploding the price of eyewear. In the world today, 1.4 billion “glassers” wear a product that comes from one company, Essilor-Luxottica. Talk about concentration of ownership!

The fundamental questions which everyone I talk to asks: “Why should a few dollars of plastic cost hundreds of dollars?” The answer is complicated, but I’ll say this: Eyeglasses are (or should be) precision goods. That frame goes through 200 steps in its manufacture.

As for how I want a reader to read the book: With their glasses on, of course!