Silvio Maffioletti, professor in the Degree Course in Optics and Optometry at the Università degli Studi in Turin and at the Istituto di Ricerca e di Studi di Ottica e Optometria in Vinci, and Sergio Cappa, professor at the Istituto Superiore di Scienze Optometriche in Milan and at the Civica Scuola di Ottica e Optometria in Milan, are the authors of the “History of Optics”, a book that examines the world of eyeglasses from 1300 to 1970, that will be presented on Sunday March 1st at 3pm in the OttiClub space, inside the Milan Fairgrounds.
Of momentous importance to the industry, the scientific treatise – written in tribute to the 50th anniversary of MIDO – goes back to the origins to reconstruct the history of lenses and eyewear. Seven centuries of optical history. Seven hundred years that, in the field of vision science, encompass a wealth of personal and collective, cultural and scientific, social and political events. The authors contextualize these events in the times and places in which they occurred, accurately and with a light touch, reconstructing the stages and fundamental connections in the development of lenses. The book ends in 1970, year in which Mido’s first edition took place.
Cappa and Maffioletti guide readers to the discovery of how research and studies, technological application, artisan craftsmanship and industrial progress converge in the advancement of the vision sciences. They also identify and acknowledge the importance of some of the leading players in scientific progress and entrepreneurship. In telling their stories, describing the roles they played, the authors highlight their scientific and entrepreneurial excellence and, together, reveal the determination, passion, and admirable innovative spirit that imbued their stories and their lives.