Visionary Technology: Exploring Eyeglasses and Impairment in the NLM’s Collections

This talk will be live-streamed globally, and archived on NLM’s YouTube Channel and NIH VideoCasting.

Join Dr. Rachael Gillibrand as she explores the connections between eye impairments and the creation of eyeglasses, using the collections of the National Library of Medicine (NLM). The talk will highlight items from her ‘ocular impairment’ resource collection, accessible through the Medical Heritage Library, as well as materials used in her forthcoming book on premodern disability. Together, we will dive into the pages of historical texts, including Guy de Chauliac’s Chyrurgia, Bartholomeus Anglicus’ De proprietatibus rerum and the writings of Ambroise Paré, to explore how ocular health has influenced the design of eyeglasses throughout history.