Keeping Your Eyes Safe For Ages - The History of Sunglasses

 Mens sunglasses have a dark history, but a bright future. The story of sunglasses can be linked back to Roman Emperor Nero who overlooked the gladiator fights through polished light emerald green gems put up to his eyes.

The invention of sunglasses for men was circa between 1268 and 1289. A visual historical clue of early sunglasses is a painting penned by Tommaso da Modena in the year 1352. The somebody in the painting was wearing sunglasses. This was the 1st portrait of a person in sunglasses and many more were to come as it became a fashionable symbol of high society and honor.

Around the twelfth century and prior to 1430, sunglasses were adorned Judges in the Courts of China. The smoky quartz, flat-glassed panes were not utilised as protection from the sun. They were utilised to hide any expression within their eyes to keep from hinting at the thoughts prior their decisions. Prescription sunglasses were invented in Italy around 1430 and were subsequently utilised by the Chinese Judges.

By the 1600's people understood the benefits of prescription glasses in helping the seniors of society to see clearer and the slogan " A Blessing to the Aged " came into popular use in 1629. It was the slogan of an English spectacles producer, Spectacle Makers Company.

During the 18th Century, James Ayscough developed blue & green corrective lenses that started the method of sunglasses for clearing optical problems.

The development of glasses and sunglasses continued through the years. Problems in sticking sunglasses on the face or perched on the bridge of the nose led to experiments. Glasses frames had been manufactured from leather, bones and metal that were propped on the nose. Sidepieces began as silk strips of ribbon that circled around the ears. Instead of loops, China used ceramic weights to the ends of the ribbons. Familiar sidepieces were eventually produced by Edward Scarlett in 1730. Benjamen Franklin's production of bifocal lenses came in 1780.

When we reach the 20th Century, mens sunglasses were utilised to protect the eyes from the harmful sun. In 1929 Sam Foster began selling his safety occhiali da sole miu miu  at Woolworth stores on the boardwalk at the beaches in Atlantic City and New Jersey. His Foster Grants were the first mass-produced sunglasses & they began the cultivation of sunglasses for fashion.

In the 1930's the AAC asked Bausch & Lomb to come up with sunglasses that would with efficiency reduce high-altitude sun glare for pilots. Bausch & Lomb invented sunglasses that had a dark green tint in order to absorb light via the yellow spectrum.

Edward H. Land had invented the Polaroid design and by 1936 he was utilising it in the fashioning of sunglasses and not long afterwards, sunglasses became " cool ". Film stars began adorning sunglasses as a statement & to hide behind. Aviator glasses became popular with the movie stars & increasingly the public in 1937 after Ray Ban developed anti-glare sunglasses utilising polarization. The longer lens was made to give more protection to pilots sight from the light reflecting off their control panels.

In the 1970's movie stars and fashion designers made a huge impact with the sunglasses market. Fashion designers and stars put their signatures on glasses and sunglasses and everyone had to have them.

Today, stars are still hiding underneath their outsized designer sunglasses, making fashion statements and protecting their eyes from the damaging effects of the Ultra Violet (UV) rays of the sun. With innovative manufacturing and developments, sunglasses continue to morph. We have gone from putting green gems up to our eyes to watch Gladiator sports to Oakley sun glasses with digital sound abilities built in. Now we just have to ask " What's next "?