The History of Sunglasses

Seeing people wearing eyepieces today is just as common as seeing individuals wearing a coat or scarf during the winter season. These things are tools that help provide vision to a lot of people, whether it is prescription or for eye shape. But it was not always this way.

The evolution of this eyewear as a standard treatment for individuals with eyesight problems took a lot of years, even centuries, with tons of brilliant innovators paving the way to almost perfect visions the public get to enjoy today. A lot of people are wondering about the leading technology behind eyewear. Here is a closer look at the history of a device that allows a lot of individuals to perform surgery, drive, read, walk, and do various important activities.

Visit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sunglasses for more info about sunglasses.

Early glasses

The first inventor of wearable eyepieces is unknown. But the ancient Romans first discovered the ability to use these devices to help them enhance their ability to see small things and create small glasses that help magnify what the user is looking for. The first wearable pieces know in history were first found in Italy in the 13th century.

Primitive lenses were set in leather or wooden frames (sometimes frames made from solid animal horns) and then perched on people’s noses or held before the user’s face. It is usually used by monks and grew popular among the public. The technology improved during the Renaissance period.

Glassblowers design and make lenses of various thicknesses depending on the rudimentary vision testing. As these things become more popular, the glasses that were made in Italy spread all over Europe, usually available to wealthy individuals.

Since scholarships were a very important attribute during the Renaissance period, these devices were a status symbol of prosperity and intelligence. The device might have remained static for a couple of centuries, because the next apparent historical view of this device comes during the early 1700s. They grew to be hands-free because of the evolution of temples extending over the ears.

Modern innovations

Because of the evolution of lens technology, as well as the accurate prescriptions starting to be more affordable in the 1800s, the dawn of the 1900s saw a movement towards making these things stylish and fashionable. Eyewear like Oakley glasses with various colors, materials, and shapes have become readily available for individuals who wanted their fashionable sunglasses to match their eye color, face shape, or wardrobe.

Most notably, styles have changed because of the development and availability of strong and durable plastics. No longer did all sunglasses need to be made a with horn, metal, or wood frames. Plastics could be molded into different sizes and shapes.

Other sunglass manufacturers experimented with various colored lenses, but they were not intended for protection. Only in the early 1900s did tinted glasses started to be used for sun or light sensitivity caused by various medical conditions. The trend spread beyond its medical use, and in the 1930s, they were readily available for the public to help people protect their eyes from the sun and minimize glare.

Finally, in the 1980s, people saw the introduction of durable plastic lenses. These things are less breakable, as well as could be made thinner and lighter compared to their glass counterpart. Modern technology continues to evolve and improve these eyepieces with protective coatings that minimize Ultraviolet light and glare.