Sunglasses

Sunglasses have been around for a very long time. Before the 15th Century, sunglasses were worn by Judges in China Courts to hide any hint in their eyes. Prescription sunglasses were developed in Italy in 1430 and were later used by the Chinese Judges. In the mid 18th Century, blue and green corrective lenses were developped, beginning the use of sunglasses for correcting optical problems.

In 1730, Edward Scarlett invented hardened sidepiecesbecause there were problems in keeping eyeglasses on the nose. Glasses frames had been made from bones and metal and sidepieces began as silk strips of ribbon that looped around the ears. Benjamen Franklin's invention of bifocal lenses followed in 1780.

By 1920, sunglasses were used to protect the eyes from the sunshine. In 1930, "Foster Grants" were the first mass-produced sunglasses and they began the trend of wearing sunglasses daily.
Movie stars began wearing sunglasses to hide for fashion. Aviator glasses became popular with the actors and the public in 1940.

By the 1970's, Movie stars and fashion models impacted on the sunglasses market. Fashion designers and Celebrities put their own names on the sunglasses and everybody had to have a pair. In 2009, trendy designer sunglasses are popular still. Expensive quality designer sunglasses should be polarized to reduce the glare of sunlight reflecting on the lenses. Polarized sunglasses do their job by blocking the horizontal light reflections andby letting in the vertical light reflections.

Sunglasses for children have Diego, Dora, Princesses printed on them to attract the attention of children. Now the whole family can have cool shades for those hot sunny summer days.