Though designer sunglasses are a 20th century phenomenon, it has a beginning which can be traced in the earliest Chinese history. In the earlier 14th century, Chinese judges used to wear smoke-colored quartz lenses to conceal their eye expressions in court. According to the Chinese customs, a judge’s evaluation of evidence as credible or not was to remain a secret until a trial’s conclusion.
In the mid 18th century, James Ayscough started experimenting with tinted lenses. He was of the belief that blue or green- tinted glass could correct specific vision impairments. He didn’t give much attention to the ‘protection from the sun rays’ factor.
The modern-type sunglasses came into being in the early 20th century. In 1929, Sam Foster, the founder of the Foster Grant company, sold the first pair of Foster Grant Sunglasses on the Broadwalk in Atlantic City, NJ.
Then in the 1930s, the Army Air Corps commissioned the optical firm of Bausch & Lomb to produce a spectacle with a purpose of protecting the pilots from the dangers of high-altitude glare. So the company physicists and opticians perfected a special dark green tint that absorbed light in the yellow band of the spectrum.
In 1936, Ray Ban designed its iconic anti-glare aviator style sunglasses, using polarized lens technology newly created by Edwin H. Land, founder of the Polaroid Corporation.
The sunglasses and prescription sunglasses industry really gained momentum in the 1960s, when a clever advertising campaign by the glass firm of Foster Grant made sunglasses hot and happening. Well-known fashion designer as well as Hollywood actors escalated the popularity of sunglasses and it never went down.
Now-a-days, sunglasses and prescription sunglasses are found at really affordable rates online. As it has slowly become a fashion accessory, online glasses stores have made sure that they have a huge range of sunglasses in their catalogs.
Cheapglasses123.com, one of the leading stores of glasses online in UK offers a wide range of cheap prescription glasses, prescription sunglasses and frames for men and women of all age groups.