Sunglasses Day was launched by The Vision Council, the Association for the Advancement of the Optical Industry, and takes place worldwide on June 27. On this day, people are reminded of the importance of wearing sunglasses to protect themselves from UV radiation. Humans have been protecting themselves from bright light since time immemorial – in the past with protective masks and slit glasses, and later with dark glasses.
Dark lenses without a UV filter effect protect against glare, but can increase the damage in terms of UV exposure. This is because the pupils dilate due to the darkening, allowing even more harmful radiation to enter the eye.
The optimal sunglasses block the ultraviolet radiation component of sunlight and reduce the incidence of stray light thanks to their lens size and shape as well as an optimized frame. In addition, sunglasses as clothing accessories also fulfill image and fashion aspects.
Karin Hartewig published a cultural history of sunglasses back in 2009:
In the beginning, it was just a shield to protect the eyes from light, wind and dust. Then they became an indispensable accessory for modern city dwellers and sporty leisure enthusiasts. And for more than fifty years, we have known them as a classic of concealment and self-presentation: sunglasses!
Celebrities and eccentrics never leave the house “topless”. For many, sunglasses have even become a trademark: Or can you imagine Karl Lagerfeld, Heino, Jackie O., Udo Lindenberg or Warhol topless? Even everyday heroes love the accessory with the cool factor. And the despots of this world don’t want to do without their dark glasses either.
Whether mirrored, raven black, graduated tinted, in xxl format or in the classic teardrop shape of aviator sunglasses – eye protection has now become a true all-purpose weapon. Sunglasses keep paparazzi of all kinds at a distance, they provide that red carpet feeling and they demonstrate power over others.
Sunglasses are light protection, a cult object and a trademark. Even the Romans used colored glass as glare protection. Emperor Nero (37 – 68 AD) used green emeralds to protect his eyes from the sun during gladiator fights in the Colosseum. In the 15th century, colored lenses were already known to protect against the glare of the sun. However, it was not until 1752 that the English optician and designer James Ayscough invented spectacles with smoked glass as light protection for the eyes. In the 18th century, sunglasses with yellow, green, blue or red lenses were particularly popular. Some early sunglasses had protective side flaps made of leather or fabric to keep out stray light from the sides. In the 19th century, ophthalmologists argued about the best color. Today we know that brown, grey and green lenses distort color perception the least. With other shades of glass, the perception of colors changes and the brain needs a certain amount of time to neutralize the altered colour perception.
The effect of the colors in detail:
Brown: Pleasantly warm shade, slight color distortion, filters blue light
Grey: Neutral color reproduction
Green: Slight color distortion, enhancement of natural green
Yellow: Contrast-enhancing (shooting, skiing), unsuitable for traffic due to color distortion
Blue, red, violet: Sometimes suitable, not in every form.
The tinting of the lenses reduces visible light. The strength of the tint depends on the occasion and environment in which the sun protection is required. The tint has no effect on UV protection.
Over the course of the 19th century, the protective function against the harmful effects of UV radiation became increasingly important. The first glasses with an effective UV filter were developed by Josef Rodenstock as early as 1905, although the harmful effects of UV rays were not empirically proven until 1908 by the Swiss Alfred Vogt.
In 1937, the American company Bausch & Lomb launched the Ray Ban eyewear brand. The first patent for Ray Ban sunglasses was based on a prototype of aviator glasses developed for US Army pilots. This also explains the choice of name for this first model, namely “Aviator”. In 1939, the range was extended with the launch of a modified version of the Aviator for use outside the aircraft. A sweat guard was designed to protect the eye from sweat. The Wayfarer, which was launched in 1952, is probably the best-known model and probably also the first “it” pair of glasses. The myth of the Wayfarer as cult eyewear is certainly due to the many famous faces that wore them in public: Buddy Holly, J.F. Kennedy, Bob Dylan or Tom Curse are just a few of them. Audrey Hepburn is also unforgettable as Holly Golightly in “Breakfast at Tiffany’s” with a longing, Wayfarer-veiled look in front of the shop window of the luxury jeweler Tiffany’s on New York’s 5th Avenue.
It is also interesting to note that Ray-Ban eyewear – as the forerunner of other luxury products – already had a sophisticated system of characteristic features very early on, which distinguished the model as an original. This system has of course been revised several times in the meantime. Today, for example, a diamond on the right-hand lens means that the lenses have been specially coated and are as scratch-resistant as a diamond. A P or P3 indicates that the lenses are polarized.
The fashionable success of Ray-Bans was therefore more of a coincidence, as they were originally designed primarily as protective equipment for astronauts and pilots.
In the 1960s, self-tinting (photochromic) lenses were introduced to the market. This innovation was based on an invention by chemists Stanley Donald Stookey and his colleague William Amistead. These lenses react to UV radiation and are particularly suitable for people who are constantly dependent on their glasses. Another major innovation was the invention of tinted plastic lenses for sunglasses by Rodenstock in 1986.
In the 1980s, Italian sunglasses manufacturer Persol wanted to emphasize its technical approach and took part in various expeditions to test the performance and protection of the human eye under extreme conditions. In 1989, mountaineer Enrico Rosso wore Persol glasses as protection against high-altitude radiation when climbing the Himalayan peak of Kun (7077 m) in Indian Kashmir.
Eye protection is of course not only necessary at high altitudes. In Cambodia, it is also important to protect your eyes adequately.
In this sense, it was of course also very helpful that the company Caveng Optik in Ilanz provided sunglasses for the children in the Safe House in Battambang. A big thank you to the donors! The children wear the glasses proudly and were very happy about them!
Sources:
https://www.kuriose-feiertage.de/tag-der-sonnenbrille-der-amerikanische-sun-glasses-day/
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonnenbrille
http://www.optikschweiz.ch/de/themen/sonnenschutz
http://www.tagesspiegel.de/kultur/lichtschutzfaktor-die-geschichte-der-sonnenbrille/1563372.html
Karin Hartewig: Der verhüllte Blick. A brief cultural history of sunglasses. Jonas Verlag, Marburg 2009. 152 pp.
