CONNECTING POINT: My Life, A Magnifying Glass

At fifty-three, it pains me to admit that my eyesight has failed over the last few years. I am due for another adjustment to my trifocals! As a kid, I recall seeing my grandmother doing the newspaper crossword with a magnifying glass. I could not imagine then growing old myself. Today, I see a different layer. If you are anything like me, you first try to read small print without your glasses. For many of us, it is a reminder, isn’t it?

In ancient times, the Romans used water-filled globes (as described by Seneca) to magnify objects. It was not until the Middle Ages, around 1250, that the Engl...