{"id":7138,"date":"2018-02-24T08:44:39","date_gmt":"2018-02-24T13:44:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.eyebuydirect.com\/blog\/?p=7138"},"modified":"2026-04-02T03:44:59","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T07:44:59","slug":"history-of-sunglasses","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.eyebuydirect.com\/blog\/history-of-sunglasses\/","title":{"rendered":"The History of Sunglasses: Shades by the Decades"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>When the sun is shining and you\u2019re enjoying a day at the beach, it\u2019s wonderful to reach down and grab a pair of shades. When you\u2019re trekking on a rugged hiking path, a pair of sunglasses in your backpack will help you ward off the sun and focus on your pace. Sunglasses are so easily accessible that we may take them for granted. It really makes you wonder: What was life like before we could shield our eyes from the sun\u2019s harmful UV rays?\u00a0You may think this form of eyewear is a fairly new invention, but the history of sunglasses actually goes way back. Even in ancient times, humans were looking for ways to keep the sun from shining in their eyes.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eyebuydirect.com\/sunglasses\/frames\/samba-floral-gold-l-19583\" target=\"\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-7234 aligncenter\" title=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/img.ebdcdn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/feb-m-blog-Article-Images-1000-x-630-pixels-1.jpg\" alt=\"history of sunglasses- black\" width=\"1000\" height=\"630\" srcset=\"https:\/\/img.ebdcdn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/feb-m-blog-Article-Images-1000-x-630-pixels-1.jpg 1000w, https:\/\/img.ebdcdn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/feb-m-blog-Article-Images-1000-x-630-pixels-1-300x189.jpg 300w, https:\/\/img.ebdcdn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/feb-m-blog-Article-Images-1000-x-630-pixels-1-768x484.jpg 768w, https:\/\/img.ebdcdn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/feb-m-blog-Article-Images-1000-x-630-pixels-1-825x520.jpg 825w, https:\/\/img.ebdcdn.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/feb-m-blog-Article-Images-1000-x-630-pixels-1-397x250.jpg 397w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1000px) 100vw, 1000px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.eyebuydirect.com\/sunglasses\/frames\/samba-floral-gold-l-19583\">Samba<\/a>, in Floral Gold<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\">The History of Sunglasses Begins with Ancient Attempts at Sunglasses<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>The earliest reference we have of colored spectacles being used to block the sun\u2019s rays is good old Emperor Nero in ancient Rome. No \u2014 he didn\u2019t sport his shades when he burned the town down. But he did use polished gems to watch gladiatorial competitions.<\/p>\n<p>The history of sunglasses continues in 12th century China, where pieces of smoky quartz were used by judges while listening to court cases. They weren\u2019t for the sun, though. These signature pieces kept people from reading the judges\u2019 expressions, much like that cool, aloof kid you went to school with who seemed to wear sunglasses even on rainy days. You could never tell what he was thinking.<\/p>\n<p>During the Renaissance, that great era of enlightenment and innovation, one could argue that the greatest accomplishment to come from this time was the invention of sunglasses. It\u2019s believed the first pair was created somewhere between 1268 and 1289. All we know is by 1352 sunglasses appeared in a painting by Tommaso da Modena. After that, the rich and powerful used sunglasses as a symbol of distinction and honor.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\">The Popular Rise of Sunglasses<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Since their earliest uses, sunglasses have gone through a lot of necessary, practical and fashionable changes. By the 1600s, an English spectacle company invented the first pair of prescription sunglasses. But it wasn\u2019t until the early part of the 20th century that they became in vogue.<\/p>\n<p>On the beaches of Atlantic City, New Jersey, in 1929, Sam Foster introduced the sunglasses craze to America by selling inexpensive shades to beachgoers. People went crazy for these spectacles, which protected their eyes from the sun\u2019 always glorious but often annoying light. From there, sunglasses took on both utilitarian and stylish changes:<\/p>\n<p><big>\u2022<\/big>\u00a01930s: Bausch &amp; Lomb develops eyeglasses for the Army Air Corp that reduce high-altitude glare.<\/p>\n<p><big>\u2022<\/big>\u00a01936: The Polaroid filter is used for the first time to make polarized sunglasses.<\/p>\n<p><big>\u2022<\/big>\u00a01937: Ray-Ban produces aviator-style polarized sunglasses, which become popularized by American movie stars.<\/p>\n<p>As the public saw their favorite celebrities donning spectacular shades, the sunglasses craze took off and has never looked back. Styles have changed through the years \u2014 from the Cat Eyes of the \u201850s to the square frames of the \u201880s. And what was old becomes new again. One thing we can be sure of, though, is that sunglasses are here to stay.<\/p>\n<h2><span style=\"font-size: 20px;\">Continue the History of Sunglasses By Making\u00a0Your Own Fashion\u00a0Statement<\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Nowadays, sunglasses are a style statement that goes hand-in-hand with sunshine and summer days. They define our signature look, give an air of mystery, and add sophistication to any outfit. At Eyebuydirect, we understand the importance of options. That\u2019s why our sunglasses catalog includes the latest trends and classic looks that never go out of style.<\/p>\n<p>Try them out! If you\u2019re not happy, send them back as part of our 30-day Fit &amp; Style Guarantee. In addition to our reasonable prices, we offer a 12-month Product Guarantee to ensure you\u2019re completely satisfied with our quality sunglasses. It&#8217;s time to make YOUR mark on the history of sunglasses. Take a look at our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eyebuydirect.com\/sunglasses\">sunglasses catalog<\/a> today!<\/p>\n<p class=\"btn-article-scope\"><a class=\"btn-article-bottom\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eyebuydirect.com\/sunglasses\">Shop Some Timeless Shades<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When the sun is shining and you\u2019re enjoying a day at the beach, it\u2019s wonderful to reach down and grab a pair of shades. When you\u2019re trekking on a rugged hiking path, a pair of sunglasses in your backpack will help you ward off the sun and focus on your pace. Sunglasses are so easily [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":56,"featured_media":7235,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-trends"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.2 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The History of Sunglasses: Shades by the Decades | Blog | Eyebuydirect<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The history of sunglasses spans centuries upon centuries of fashion experimentation and scientific innovation. Sit down, because it&#039;s time to learn.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eyebuydirect.com\/blog\/history-of-sunglasses\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"The History of Sunglasses: Shades by the Decades | Blog | Eyebuydirect\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The history of sunglasses spans centuries upon centuries of fashion experimentation and scientific innovation. 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