Discover A History
of Sunglasses

Sunglasses are protective eye wear. They protect delicate eyes from the sun's harsh rays. When you wear high-quality sunglasses, you'll stop visible light with high energy (and stop bright sunlight) from causing discomfort and/or eye damage.

These types of eye wear come in different styles. For example, you may choose sunglasses with polarized, coloured or darkened lenses. In the early days, these forms of eye wear were known as sun cheaters. This American term for sunglasses came into popular usage during the early twentieth century.

The earliest, most primitive examples of sunglasses were worn by the Inuit. They created glasses made from walrus ivory which was flattened and then looked through thin slits in order to keep the sun's reflected rays out of their eyes.

Also, some historians believe that the famous Roman emperor, Nero, enjoyed viewing gladiator fights by staring through emeralds. Apparently, the gems had mirror-like properties and he found that they helped him to get more from his viewing experiences. In the 12th century, some Chinese citizens wore sunglasses crafted from smoky quartz panes which were flat and relatively thin. They were worn in order to shield eyes from the glare of sunlight.

During the middle of the eighteenth century, a man named James Ayscough started adding lenses which were tinted to eyeglass frames. In his view, glass which was tinted green or blue was useful for treating some forms of vision problems. He wasn't trying to create spectacles which protected eyes from the sun. However, sun protection was a bonus and an important secondary benefit of wearing his innovative designs. .

Sunglass Technology Soon Evolved

During the 1920s, sunglasses became more popular with the masses. They were also favoured by film stars. Film stars were believed to like them because they felt that wearing them gave them more anonymity when they were out and about. Also, many movie stars suffered from reddened eyes because arc lamps were used during filming.

Sunglasses went into mass production during the last year of the 1920s. Foster was the company which chose to mass-produce these designs for Americans. The beach crowd at Atlantic City, in New Jersey, loved the sunglasses that Foster made. Soon, the team at Foster offered sunglasses for sale under the brand name, Foster Grant, at a popular drugstore chain of the time, which was known as Woolworth.

Modern Sunglasses Are High-tech

These days, sunglasses of superb quality offer incredible protection and they come in a host of styles, from cat's eye designs with vintage appeal to aviators to more basic and simple styles. Lots of people shop for sunglasses online and it's possible to order sunglasses which offer sun protection and vision correction if they are needed. Modern sunglasses shield eyes from discomfort and damage better than the most primitive designs.