Gemma Almond

I am a collaborative PhD student at Swansea University and the Science Museum, and a former 2012 paralympic swimmer.

My thesis explores the history of eyewear, namely spectacles and eyeglasses, and the correction of vision in the nineteenth century. Drawing upon the medical and social context of the period, it examines how vision aids were manufactured, sold and used. It reflects upon wider themes such as the advancement of eyesight testing technologies, specialisation of medicine and the stigma of vision impairments and devices to correct them.

I am currently a teaching assistant at Swansea University and Cardiff University. My broader research interests include: disability history and the history of medicine.