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This is the first serious analysis of the transition of spectacles from a barely tolerated medical appliance to a must-have fashion accessory. The bulk of the book's 350 illustrations show items preserved within the historical collections of the British Optical Association Museum housed at the College of Optometrists.

The book places developments within the industry since the 1950s within their wider historical context. It documents the controversy surrounding the ‘shopticians’, including the emergence of ‘lifestyle dispensing’, and the serious calls that were made for optometrists to boycott the new fashion styles.

In researching the book Neil tracked down Elvis Presley's personal optician in California and Dame Edna Everage's costume designer, along with the man who first sold granny glasses to the hippies of the ‘love’ generation. Ranging from an analysis of hip hop street culture, to an account of the major optical trade shows and the influential role of twentieth century cinema classics such as ‘Easy Rider’ and ‘The Blues Brothers’, Neil also demolishes the myth of 'John Lennon Spectacles'.