Due possibly to changes in the ozone layer, protection from Ultra Violet (UV) radiation is becoming a serious consideration. Wearing good quality sunglasses is becoming almost mandatory, especially during the summer and winter months. They are no longer just an extra accoutrement to help you look cool on the beach or on the ski slopes.
Two thousand years ago to filter the bright sunlight while watching the gladiator contests, Nero had fashioned for him simple lenses made from polished emeralds. In the mid eighteenth century, James Ayscough developed the first blue and green corrective lenses. Today we have a myriad of color choices and styles of sunglasses to choose from.
By the 20th Century, sunglasses were used to protect the eyes from the sun. In 1929 Sam Foster’s “Foster Grants” were the first mass-produced sunglasses and they began the trend of sunglasses for fashion.
In the 1930’s the Army Air Corps asked Bausch & Lomb to develop sunglasses that would efficiently reduce high-altitude sun glare for pilots and they came up with dark green tinted sunglasses that absorbed light through the yellow spectrum.
Edward H. Land had invented the Polaroid filter and by 1936 he used it in making sunglasses and soon, sunglasses became “cool.” Movies stars began wearing sunglasses to hide behind and for fashion. Aviator glasses became popular with the movie stars and the general public in 1937 after Ray Ban developed the anti-glare sunglasses using polarization. The longer lens was created to give more protection to pilots’ eyes from light reflecting off their control panels.
Forty years later in the 1970’s, Hollywood stars and fashion designers made a huge impact on the sunglasses market by putting their names on them. Endorsement by big names meant everyone had to have them. Today, in 2009, Hollywood stars and wannabes alike, still hide behind their oversized designer sunglasses. This makes a fashion statement and at the same time protects their eyes from the harmful effects of Ultra Violet radiation.
The corneas of our eyes can be seriously damaged by UV rays, so we need to ensure that we have a good pair of sunglasses that will shield 100% of these rays. Most sunglasses have a protective coating on the outside of the lenses that acts as a kind of filter. The coating allows light through, and helps filter our the radioactive light waves.
In addition to filtering out UV rays, modern sunglasses are usually tinted to control the amount of light your eyes will be exposed to. Different shades of tinting will protect in their own ways. Lenses tinted in gray and almost black offer the greatest amount of protection from intense lights while avoiding distortion of most colors that the human eye can detect.
When choosing your new sunglasses be sure they have anti-glare properties, usually the tag will say they are polarized. Glare is a real hazard, particularly when driving in wet conditions and on the ski slopes in the winter with the sunlight reflecting off the snow.
As noted before, Sunglasses can eliminate specific frequencies of light. Certain light frequencies can cause blurred vision, while other frequencies enhance contrast between colors. Choosing the right color for your sunglasses lets them work better in specific situations.
Blue light is a color of light that can cause burred perception, so sunglasses that are yellow, gold, amber and brown can be chosen to counteract blue light. Yellow tinted lenses, while making the rest of the world look a different color, will enable you to see the most clearly through them.
Green tinted sunglasses are better for filtering some blue light and reducing the occurrence of glares. They also offer the highest contrast and greatest visual sharpness of any other colored lens. For this reason, green sunglasses are very popular. Rose colored shades and purple tints offer the best contrast of objects against a green or blue background and make great sunglasses for hunting or water skiing.
Hopefully this article has enabled you to be a knowledgeable consumer when it comes to selecting your next pair of sunglasses. Try to combine lastest dictates of fashion with the optimal selection of color tinting with good quality that includes UV protection and anti-glare polarizing.
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Sunglasses are too often a spur of the moment purchase when they should be given the consideration they deserve. For more information about sunglasses go to our website: sunglasses