| The history of sunglasses can be traced back to | | | | distance and reading glasses. |
| ancient Rome around the year AD 60, where the | | | | Sunglasses, as we know them today, were first |
| Emperor Nero is said to have watched gladiator | | | | introduced by Sam Foster in America, 1929.These |
| fights whilst holding up polished emerald-green | | | | were the first sunglasses designed specifically to |
| gems to his eyes, thus reducing the effect of the | | | | protect people’s eyes from the harmful |
| sun’s glare. The very first actual recorded | | | | sun’s rays. He founded the Foster Grant |
| evidence of the use of sunglasses can be found | | | | Company, and sold the first pair of Foster Grant |
| from a painting by Tommaso da Modena in Italy, | | | | sunglasses on the boardwalk by the beaches in |
| 1352, showing a person wearing sunglasses. | | | | Atlantic City, New Jersey. These were the first |
| Earlier, around the twelfth century in China, | | | | mass-produced sunglasses, and from this year |
| sunglasses were worn by court judges, not to | | | | onwards, sunglasses really began to take off. |
| protect their eyes from the sun, but in order to | | | | When I say “take off”, I mean that |
| conceal any expressions in their eyes as it was | | | | quite literally, because in the 1930’s, the |
| important to keep their thoughts and opinions | | | | Army Air Corps asked a company Bausch & |
| secret until the end of each trial. These were flat | | | | Lomb (who still exist today) to produce a |
| panes of quartz that had been polished smooth | | | | spectacle tint that would efficiently reduce high |
| and then smoked to give their tint. | | | | altitude sun glare for pilots. They developed a |
| It was not until 1430 that prescription glasses | | | | dark green tint that absorbed light in the yellow |
| were first developed in Italy to correct vision, and | | | | band of the visible spectrum. |
| these early rudimentary spectacles soon found | | | | In 1936, Edwin H Land patented the Polaroid filter |
| their way to China, where they were again tinted | | | | for making polarized sunglasses. This type of tint |
| by smoke to be used by the judges. The frames | | | | reduces glare reflected from surfaces, such as |
| were carved out of either ivory or tortoiseshell, | | | | water. Later in that same year, Ray Ban took the |
| and some were quite ornate. During the 17th | | | | design of pilots sunglasses further by producing |
| century prescription glasses were being used in | | | | the aviator-style sunglasses that we know today, |
| England to help elderly presbyopic people to see | | | | using this recently invented polarized lens |
| better. The Spectacle Makers Company was | | | | technology. The edge of the frame |
| founded in England who started manufacturing | | | | characteristically drooped away at the edges by |
| prescription glasses for the public, whose motto | | | | the cheeks in a sort of tear drop shape, to give a |
| was “A Blessing to the Aged”. | | | | full all-round protection to the pilots eyes, who |
| The development of sunglasses, however, | | | | regularly had to glance down towards the |
| remained static until the work of James | | | | aircraft’s instrument panel. The polarized |
| Ayscough, who was known for his work on | | | | lens reduced the glare from light reflected off the |
| microscopes in London around 1750. He | | | | instrument panel. Pilots were given these |
| experimented with blue and green tinted lenses, | | | | sunglasses free of charge, but in 1937 the general |
| believing they could help with certain vision | | | | public were allowed to purchase this aviator-style |
| problems. These were not sunglasses, however, | | | | model that “banned” the |
| as he was not concerned with protecting the | | | | sun’s rays as Ray Ban sunglasses. |
| eyes from the sun’s rays. | | | | In 1960, Foster Grant started a big advertising |
| Prescription spectacles continued to be developed | | | | campaign to promote sunglasses, and pretty soon |
| over the next few decades, especially regarding | | | | famous film stars and pop stars started wearing |
| the design of the spectacle frames and how to | | | | sunglasses as part of their image. The public |
| get them to sit comfortably on the nose. The | | | | began to adopt this new fashion of wearing |
| frames were made from leather, bone, ivory, | | | | sunglasses, not just to protect their eyes from |
| tortoiseshell and metal, and were simply propped | | | | bright light, but also as a way of looking good. |
| or balanced on the nose. The early arms or | | | | Today, sunglasses are continuing to be improved |
| sidepieces of the frames first appeared as strips | | | | with efficient UV blocking tints, cutting out all the |
| of ribbon that looped around the backs of the | | | | harmful ultra-violet light. Various coloured tints are |
| ears. Rather than loops, the Chinese added | | | | now available and, of course, the frame styles are |
| ceramic weights to the ends of the ribbons which | | | | very varied and exciting. Now you can really |
| dangled down behind the tops of the ears. Solid | | | | make a statement with your fashion sunglasses, |
| sidepieces finally arrived in 1730, invented by | | | | transforming your image or creating a new look. |
| Edward Scarlett. Later on, lens technology made a | | | | Designer sunglasses have certainly come a long |
| great leap forward when Benjamin Franklin | | | | way in just a few years, and now not only |
| famously invented the first bifocal lens in 1780, | | | | protect our eyes from the harmful sun’s |
| called the “Franklin split” bifocal, | | | | rays, but are also an important fashion accessory |
| enabling presbyopic patients to read and also see | | | | – and it all started nearly 2,000 years ago |
| in the distance without the need for separate | | | | with the Roman Emperor Nero! |