VisionPlus Arabia

used sunglasses made from smoky quartz in court in the 12th century, sunglasses as we know them were “invented” and popularised by James Ayscough in 1752. It is believed that he used green and blue tints in corrective lenses to protect his own eyes. Sunglasses developed over time and were used, in the 1800’s, to correct eye problems such as cataracts. However, it wasn’t until the 20th century that sunglasses became fashionable and people wore them for more than just a medical purpose. Since then, each shape has had its era. From the aviators (1937), cat eye (thank you Marilyn Monroe and Audrey Hepburn), wayfarers (1956), round (yes, we’re talking about John Lennon), oversized glasses (1960s) and tiny ones (1990s), there has been a lot of change in the industry. We’ve explored the history of eyewear in one of the previous issues. The materials used changed over the years too, from stainless steel and aluminium to plastic and titanium. The lens spectrum added a variety of colours and polarised glasses were introduced. Sunglasses were all of a sudden used for everyday life, fashion and sports. They snuck into our lives slowly and became our staple pieces. And now we can’t even imagine all the early sunglasses because we EACH SHAPE HAS HAD ITS ERA. FROM THE AVIATORS (1937), CAT EYE (THANK YOU MARILYN MONROE AND AUDREY HEPBURN), WAYFARERS (1956), ROUND (YES, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT JOHN LENNON), OVERSIZED GLASSES (1960S) AND TINY ONES (1990S) 15 VISION PLUS ARABIA EDITION