Has something similar been done with onions to make them sting less? Nowadays they don't bother me whereas when I was growing up, decades ago, I couldn't cut one without tears.
Yes, there are modern cultivars that have far lower levels, or in some cases none, of the irritating compounds. These cultivars only grown in certain conditions so in markets that have seasonal growing you’ll notice some times of the year you get tears and some you don’t.
Have you started wearing glasses?
yes; does that make a difference?
Less of the lachrymator gets in your eyes if there's glasses in the way. A sharp knife also produces less lachrymator. If you keep your knives sharpener than your parents did, that'll do it