Salvino D'Armato degli Armati of Florence (1258–1312) is one of the possible inventors of eyeglasses. It was previously thought that he invented eyeglasses around 1284[1], although the evidence now suggests that this was a hoax.
In a 1684 history of Florence, Leopoldo del Migliore wrote that the church of Santa Maria Maggiore contained a memorial honoring D'Armati with the inscription: Here lies Salvino degl' Armati, son of Armato of Florence, inventor of eyeglasses. May God forgive his sins. A.D. 1317. The church has been rebuilt several times since the 13th century,[2] however, and this tomb no longer exists, so the claim cannot be verified.
The earliest eyeglasses were for the correction of hyperopia (farsightedness) and presbyopia (age-related farsightedness);[3] eyeglasses to correct myopia (nearsightedness) were not invented until the 15th century. Early eyeglasses were balanced on the bridge of the nose; stems were not introduced until the 17th century.
The claim that eyeglasses were invented by Salvino D'Armate of Florence has been exposed as a hoax.[4][5]