As summer progresses, many people, whether indulging in a vacation or a staycation, will take the time to visit a museum. While art, history and science museums can be fun and educational, optical museums combine the fashion of frames, the science of optometry and the history of the eyecare industry in a way that any eyewear enthusiast can truly appreciate. Though most optical museums offer vibrant exhibits year-round, we encourage our readers to take advantage of their summer vacation days and check out a few of these interesting, eye-inspired museums from around the world.

The Basics and Special Exhibits at the Optical Heritage Museum
Located in Southbridge, Massachusetts, which was once the world’s largest manufacturer of ophthalmic products, the Optical Heritage Museum offers a great overview for anyone interested in the history of the optical industry. The museum houses one of the largest collection of frames and ophthalmic optical items in the world. In the coming months, the Optical Heritage Museum will also install interactive displays featuring Zeiss dispensing technologies. Currently, there’s an interesting special exhibit on “Relaxation: The Battle To Keep Your Eyes Fresh,” a great summertime theme.

   



Zoom In On the Galleria Safilo
Budget-conscious people will love the Galleria Safilo; it’s a free, entirely digital museum that Safilo debuted this February based on its extensive collections—no travel expense necessary. This multi-faceted gallery is primarily dedicated to eyewear and its evolution throughout history, offering a vast display of antique, modern and famous frames. Every picture includes detailed information on each frame and users can create a profile to save their favorite pictures in their own personalized gallery.

   



Celebrity Specs and Much More at the Museum of Vision Science
A little north of the border, the Museum of Vision Science proudly boasts the title of being Canada’s only museum dedicated to preserving the history of vision science. The museum is housed in the School of Optometry and Vision Science at the University of Waterloo in Ontario. While the museum displays many antique optical instruments and objects, their most popular attraction is the “Hall of Frame”—a unique collection of glasses once owned by famous people such as Jimmy Carter, Anthony Hopkins and Gloria Steinem.

   



Make Contact With the British Optical Association Museum
The British Optical Association Museum at the College of Optometrists in London is museum of eyecare professions that is recognized as the oldest optical museum in the world. The museum displays a collection of over 3,000 pairs of spectacles dating back to the 17th century, as well as optometric instruments, optical-inspired art and an internationally renowned contact lens collection. Titanic enthusiasts can even get a glimpse of Leonardo di Caprio’s contacts. For those who are unwilling to shell out the cash for a plane ticket to London, the museum website offers a virtual gallery.




Discover What Puts the ‘Glass’ in ‘Glasses’ at the Corning Optics Gallery
For those interested in the science behind eyeglass lenses, look no further than the Optics Gallery at the Corning Museum of Glass in Corning, New York. The gallery features interactive displays that demonstrate the different ways in which light reacts with glass, including a variety lenses to look through and a 200-inch telescope disk.




Seeing Double at the Dalí Theatre-Museum
Want to experience the enigmatic connection between the eyes and the brain while looking at priceless art? Visit the Dalí Theatre-Museum in Figueres, Spain and take a look at the exhibition of Salvador Dalí’s stereoscopic paintings. Dalí, who was very interested in the field of optics, created pairs of nearly identical paintings that appear as one three-dimensional image when viewed a certain way. The museum stages devices such as special glasses and mirrors in front of the paintings to help viewers experience the optical illusion.

 



Blurring the Line Between Art and Eyewear at the Design Museum Holon
Those who like to make bold statements with their eyewear will love the Design Museum Holon. Located in Holon, Israel, the museum offers a permanent collection of over 40 commissioned works by Israeli designers that attempt to answer the question: “What are eyeglasses?” While some of the interpretations appear to be wearable, albeit unique, eyewear, other designs offer abstract versions of eyewear that explore the relationship between form and function. The pieces were originally part of a larger glasses exhibition called Overview, which VM recently covered here.