July is Sunglass Awareness Month at Atlantis Vision Center. Seems like a great time to explore the history of the accessory that’s fashionable, functional, and fun to wear.
Did you know people have been using eyewear to block out the sun for about two-thousand years? The first people to use sun-blocking eyewear were the people of the Thule culture, who were ancestors of the modern Inuit. They wore snow goggles, made of bone, leather, and wood. They cut small slits which only let through a small sliver of light, effectively shielding the eyes from the bright glare of sunlight that reflected off the snow.
In the 12th century, Chinese judges would wear sunglasses to hide their expression as they questioned witnesses. These spectacles were made of
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They didn’t protect from the sun’s rays, but the idea of altering the vision through colored lenses makes these items a predecessor of modern day sunglasses.
For centuries, glasses were held in place by either metal that pinched the nose or loops of ribbon that wrapped around the ears. People who wore these glasses surely grew tired of pushing them back into place, so English optician Edward Scarlett invented temple-gripping sidepieces around 1730.
The first glasses with UVA lenses were made in 18th century Venice. Because they were used by noblemen to shield their eyes from the sun’s reflection on the lagoon, these shades were known as “gondola glasses”
James Ayscough was the first to start experimenting with tinted lenses in the 18th century. These weren’t sunglasses, however. The blue- or green-tinted glass was believed to correct for specific vision impairments. And yellow- and brown-tinted glasses were used by victims of syphilis in the 19th century because one of the symptoms of syphilis is sensitivity to
To Piggy, the owner of the spectacles, the glasses at first represented the basic ability to see. They were thought no more of than a helpful accessory. “His specs- use them as burning glasses!” (40, Golding) As the story progressed and the once well-mannered group slowly turned into
Billy Collins’ Special Glasses uses humor, personification, and a lighthearted tone to mask an uncharacteristically dark theme.
The speaker creates a silly image of magical glasses to distract the reader from the underlying sense of desperation. He makes it sound as if the mechanics behind the glasses are his real focus, while the reader can see that he is really expressing his inability to separate his grief from his daily routine.
Eye protection; such as spectacle/goggles to prevent dust or any other harmful substances from your eyes.
Seasoned day hikers know the importance of sunscreen and protecting their skin from excess rays.
Paris optician, Edouard Kalt created and fitted the first glass contact lenses to correct vision
Why would he wear them at the brightest shiniest moment? He did not need them, all he needed was a smile and to enjoy that moment in the life he had been
represent the last small piece of civilization they have. When the glasses first cracked, it
glasses that helped with both near sighted and far sighted people. The lightning rod is pointed
The Crizal lens gives eye glass wearers protection from blue light. This safeguard placed in eyewear and is important for eye safety from retinal disease. The need for crizal lens is related to the person’s chance of getting eye disease.
The first time the symbolism of the glasses was revealed was in the second chapter. The boys pointed at piggy and exclaimed, “His specs – use them
Pterygium which is also known as surfer's eye is another common condition that is caused by overexposure to dangerous UV rays. Individuals with this ailment have a growth of pink tissue on the whites of their eyes. The lesion may eventually grow over the pupil, which can lead to issues with a person's vision. Once again, simply wearing a stylish pair of sunglasses when you're out of the water can save your eyes from damage.
Attention Getter: Everyone might believe that sunglasses were recently invented in the last hundred years with the rise in pop culture. However, according to glasshistory.com, the sunglasses concept has been around as early as when Romans watched gladiator fights, possibly earlier.
Enhancing the senses is another important role for tools, and wearables show evidence of this. Eye enhancements, such as eyeglasses, sunglasses, and goggles all play a role in allowing us to extend our sight. Before the invention of reading aids using lenses, snow goggles were used as a tool similar to modern day sunglasses. Snow goggles were made from driftwood, bone, ivory, or antler. They fit against the face snuggly so that light entered only through small slits, with soot inside to help avoid glare. These were used to reduce the amount of light that reaches the eye to prevent snow blindness, which is especially dangerous in the spring when the bright sun hits fresh snow. The thin slit would improve visual acuity by creating an artificial squint, actually enhancing the vision in bright lighting as opposed to just protecting from the sun. The first examples of these were found from Inuit and Yupik cultures. The Portland Art Museum has a pair of
One of the most used materials in human history is glass or more specifically silicate glass. Although some types of glasses are called crystal glass, glass is actually an amorphous solid and does not have a crystal structure. It is used in all walks of life ranging from homes to automobiles to laboratories. Historically, the one of the first types of glass that was used by humans to make tools and weapons was the volcanic glass known as obsidian. As for manmade glass, the earliest accounts date back to 5000 BC in the middle east. Primitive methods of glass making were used until about 100BC, when glassblowing was believed to be discovered. This discovery made glass products popular in the Roman Empire since the development of glassblowing allowed glass production to be more efficient and thus less expensive. As the centuries went on more techniques were developed which eventually lead to glass products being widespread. This paper will discuss some of the methods of glass production throughout history, the types of silicate glass, and the different ways that glass can be colored.