The Secret History of Optics: Inside the World’s Oldest Optical Museum

The Secret History of Optics: Inside the World’s Oldest Optical MuseumIn this special on-the-move episode of The Optician Show, Garry Kousoulou visits the British Optical Association Museum at the College of Optometrists and speaks with museum curator Dr Neil Handley.Neil describes it as the oldest optical museum in the world, now celebrating its 125th anniversary.“We are the oldest optical museum in the world, and this year is our 125th anniversary.”This is a fascinating walk through the history of optics, eyewear, sight testing and the inventions that helped shape modern eye care.Along the way, Garry and Neil uncover remarkable stories involving:Benjamin Franklin and bifocalsGandhi’s spectaclesMarilyn Monroe’s final glassesGreta Garbo and monovisionearly Ray-Ban eyewearhistoric colour vision testingVictorian eye-disease modelsSir Harold Ridley and the intraocular lensOne of the museum’s most striking ideas is summed up by Neil:“There are so many eyes around the building that it’s the only museum where the exhibits look at you rather than the other way around.”The episode also reveals one of the oldest printed illustrations of spectacles, dating back to 1475, and explores how optical history continues to influence eye care today.A particularly powerful story concerns a Board of Trade colour vision test from 1912, introduced after concerns that ship navigators could struggle to distinguish red and green navigation lights. Neil explains how improved testing was followed by a significant reduction in shipping accidents.The conversation then moves to Sir Harold Ridley and the development of the intraocular lens. Observations made during the Second World War about Perspex fragments in pilots’ eyes helped inspire an invention that transformed cataract surgery.For anyone who has worked in optics for years, this episode will also unlock memories.“They see something from 40 years ago, and it’s a lightbulb moment. They go, ‘I remember that.’”Garry describes the museum as:“An Aladdin’s cave.”And that really captures it.This is not simply a podcast about old spectacles. It is about innovation, healthcare, fashion, science, public safety and the extraordinary people who helped shape the optical profession.The episode also looks ahead to the College of Optometrists’ Open House on Sunday 13 September 2026, from 12pm–5pm, when visitors can explore the museum and meet experts from the College.Garry and Neil also discuss plans to curate a collection of Snellen sight charts in different languages, potentially creating something truly unique.If you are an optometrist, dispensing optician, optical assistant, student, eyewear enthusiast or simply fascinated by eye care history, this is an episode worth watching or listening to.As Neil says at the end:“I hope it’s been eye-opening.”It certainly was.#TheOpticianShow #Opticians #Optometry #Eyecare #OpticalHistory #Eyewear #CollegeOfOptometrists #NeilHandley #BenjaminFranklin #HaroldRidley #IntraocularLens #ColourVision #EyeHealth #VisionCare #IndependentOpticians