10 Eye-Opening Fun Facts About Sunglasses You Never Knew!

1. Aviators' World War II Wings

Before Tom Cruise took aviators to new heights in Top Gun, these slick shades played important wingman to World War II pilots: In 1936, Bausch & Lomb designed aviator sunglasses to protect pilots from high altitude glare, as commissioned by the Army Air Corps. These Ray-Ban aviators, boasting anti-glare lenses that absorbed the yellow band of the light spectrum, soared into public availability, paving the way for Foster Grant's 1960s trend and designer brands donned by Hollywood stars in the '70s.
Source => glasseshistory.com

2. Nero's Emerald Aviators

Before Nero was fiddling while Rome burned, he was busy eyeing gladiator battles with his emerald Aviators: In ancient Rome, Emperor Nero would watch epic clashes through flattened, polished gems to not only to look stylish, but also to shield his peepers from harsh sunlight. While sunglasses have evolved into a fashionable must-have, their essential purpose remains, guarding our eyes from those treacherous UV rays and incessant glare!
Source => spectacular-blog.lenskart.com

Did you know the iconic three stripes on Adidas sneakers represent more than just style? Discover the hidden symbolism behind this famous design.

=> Fun Facts about Shoes

3. NASA's AstroShades

Who needs Ray-Bans when you've got AstroShades: NASA equips astronauts with custom-designed sunglasses featuring darker lenses and a thin, protective gold coating, while a gold-coated visor on their helmets adds extra shielding. Since the mid-90s, Austrian company Silhouette has been the go-to for space eyewear, with their invention of the Voyager line and Titanium Minimal Art frames, ensuring no loose screws or hinges wreak havoc during zero-gravity shenanigans.
Source => beacheye.com

4. Arctic Hipster Inuit Goggles

Before hipsters hit the Arctic, the Inuit and Yupik tribes were already rocking minimalist shades with a purpose: these traditional snow goggles featured narrow horizontal slits carved into driftwood, bone, or caribou antler to limit light exposure, enhance vision, and reduce glare, sometimes even sooting up the inside for extra cool points.
Source => en.wikipedia.org

5. Bono's Glaucoma Solution

Who knew Bono's sunglasses were actually his own personal Eclipse in "With or Without You"?: The U2 legend has been rocking his iconic tinted shades for years in order to manage his light sensitivity caused by glaucoma, a common eye condition that endangers the optic nerve and has also affected other notable figures like Whoopi Goldberg, Andrea Bocelli, and Edgar Davids.
Source => radiox.co.uk

6. Syphilis Sunglasses

Who needs an optometrist when ye olde tinted lenses will do the trick? Back in the sunglass stone ages, it was thought that blue or green shades were the answer for better sight and yellow or brown had the magical cure for light-sensitive syphilis sufferers: Little did they know, none of these sunglasses were protecting from harmful UV rays, but were merely prescribed to correct specific vision impairments and reduce sensitivity for those with syphilis-related vision problems.
Source => glasseshistory.com

7. 3D Matrix Vision

Feeling like you're stuck in the Matrix watching blurry 3D videos on your regular LCD monitor? You might just need an upgrade to dive into the third dimension: Specialized LCD monitors with a 120Hz refresh rate can display polarized 3D videos, allowing you to view separate images for each eye when using polarized glasses, and finally get a good glimpse of that bullet dodging action.
Source => makeuseof.com

8. Doggie Dilemma Solved: Doggles!

Has your pooch been facing fashion canine-dicrums lately? Doggie dilemma solved: Doggles ILS offers a range of sunglasses made specifically for dogs, providing 100% UV protection, shatter-proof lenses, anti-fog treatment, and a customizable fit for all canine head shapes and sizes.
Source => fuzzycreekpetsupplies.com

9. Protecting Peepers with Style

If you're looking or specs-tacular sunnies that are more than just a fashion statement, prepare to be enlightened: High-quality sunglasses reduce the risk of age-related macular degeneration, cataracts, photokeratitis, a.k.a "sunburn of the eye", and protect your peepers from glare and eyestrain when you're driving or biking with style.
Source => eyecaredoctors.com

10. Pilot Safety over Selfies

While most of us rely on sunglasses to look like Tom Cruise from Top Gun or simply hide a late-night hangover, our valiant pilots have a slightly different reason for donning those stylish shades: They can't use polarized sunglasses in the cockpit, as they interfere with reading critical instruments, making certain gauges appear dark or difficult to read. So next time a pilot slides on a pair of non-polarized lenses, rest assured they're not just posing for that perfect inflight selfie but keeping us all safe and sound at 30,000 feet!
Source => pilotinstitute.com