Centuries ago, back in the times when the Chinese Dynasties still ruled, there came about something that is still used today -- sunglasses. The Chinese method of darkening quartz was by smoke-tinting, and these sunglasses were very similar to what sunglasses are today. They actually worked to shade the eyes and perhaps to correct vision, yet those weren’t their original purpose or reason for being used back in those times. Judges of China wore these flat panes in courts to shade their eyes from people, so as to keep their eyes, maybe even facial expressions, hidden from view.
Tinted eyeglasses for eyesight improvement became available in China in c.1430, thanks to Italy. Yet still, the main function the Chinese held for these smoke-tinted lenses stayed stuck within the courts. They were used to shield their eyes from the sun sometimes, though.
An English man named James Ayscough emerged during the middle of the 18th-century. He tested out these smoke-tinted lenses. In his opinion, these spectacles, as they were called, were possibly effective for correcting certain vision disabilities if the lenses were to be blue, or maybe green. His focus back then was not on these spectacles having potential to becoming useful for the eyes as protection from the sun.
Sunglasses finally made their official entrance to the world in the 20th century. The first movie stars were known to make use of them to screen their eyes from the bright stage lights whenever filming as the lights were almost as bright as the sun. Mass production of sunglasses began in 1929 by Sam Foster, an American. He sold them cheap and solely for the eyes’ protection from the glare of the sun. New Jersey beach folk snatched these up, initiating the great fashion trend that sunglasses were soon to become. Sunglasses were owned by everyone and everywhere by the 1930s.
A new concept for sunglasses was developed by Edwin H. Land, who founded the Polaroid Corporation. He created Polaroid film which polarized sunglasses in 1936. Polaroid film enabled the first cheap filters to be used to polarize light. During this day and age, sunglasses became even more popular with Americans. Sunglasses became more functional in ways such as looking "cool." Movie stars used them; people wore them whether inside or outside, sunny or cloudy. But according to people now, they believe World War II was what brought about the beginnings of the sunglasses fad. For soldiers wore them and inspired all, as they say.
Sunglasses were further made popular in the 1960s when stars and fashion designers of the Hollywood industry were somewhat convinced by Foster Grant’s comb and glass firm, which was a clever ad campaign, to make sunglasses even bigger. Sunglasses weren’t even known 20 years prior to all this, yet a booming, new industry was created and it was all about sunglasses.
As time went by and people become aware of the effects of the sun’s rays, technological advances in sunglasses such as UV protection come about. Sunglasses nowadays come in all kinds of different forms and styles, having evolved throughout its history. Colored tints showing up only under the sun are now being featured for prescription eyeglasses, giving them dual use. New uses and developments are being thought up all the time for sunglasses, their outlook in time looks good. This industry is growing so much that what the future holds in store for sunglasses can’t be told.
