A lot of people think that the practice of wearing sunglasses should be limited to the seasons of summer and spring only. However, this should not be the case at all.

Wearing sunglasses is not limited to those long summer days spent at the beach or those lazy spring days you spend picnicking at the park with your family, friends, and loved ones. In fact, any doctor would recommend using sunglasses today because the sun has become quite harsher due to the pressing problem of global warming. Wearing sunglasses can effectively prevent permanent damage brought about by UV radiation.

With this in mind, wouldn’t you yourself agree that this practice is a worthy one to stick to all throughout the year?

We actually have a lot of people to thank for the discovery and invention of sunglasses. For starters, it was rumored that the Roman Emperor Nero was the first to conceptualize sunglasses by holding up polished emerald gems to his eyes while watching competitions amongst gladiators. However, the official invention of the sunglasses dates back between the years 1268 and 1289.

Way before 1430, the judges working the Courts of China were found to sport flat-paned smoky quartz sunglasses. This was done to hide any expression that their eyes might give away when dealing with hard court cases. During the onset of 1430, prescription glasses started being developed in Italy as well. By the time the world hit the middle of the 18th century, the blue and green corrective lenses were already developed by a man named James Ayscough. This then became the beginning of the sunglasses being used for the purpose of correcting optical impairments.

There were a lot of issues pertaining to keeping the eyeglasses appropriately propped on the bridge of the nose. This went on until Edward Scarlett came up with hardened sidepieces, released in 1730. Glasses with frames were then developed, with the frames being made from bones, metal, and leather. The sidepieces started out as mere silk ribbons trips that were worn around the ears. But in place of the loops, the Chinese chose to go with ceramic weights connected to the ribbons’ ends. Not long after that, Ben Franklin’s bifocal lenses were released in 1780.

The turn of the 20th century brought forth the invention of the sunglasses that were developed purely for protection against the sun’s harmful UV rays. The first ever sunglasses that were mass-produced were actually the Foster Grants, developed and produced by Sam Foster. These were the first glasses that were released as mere fashion trends.

The 1930’s saw the opening of Bausch & Lomb sunglasses, which were primarily developed to aid the Army Air Corps when it came to the reduction of high-altitude sun glare for their own pilots. For this, dark green tinted sunglasses were produced to deal with sun glare. The sunglasses were given the ability to absorb light through its yellow spectrum.

Today, you would find more and more designer sunglasses popping all over the market. Sunglasses remain status symbols today and when choosing your very own pair, it is important to prioritize quality over quantity.