Sunglasses offer protection against excessive exposure to sunlight, which contains some harmful rays. Among the visible and invisible components in sunlight, UV radiation is the most widespread in the public. Many eye experts think that these harmful rays can cause short-term and long-term ocular problems such as snow blindness, photokeratitis and cataract. As a result, the importance of wearing protective sunglasses can never be overstated. In fact, the use of sunglasses for UV protection can be dated back into as early as 12th century in China. Of course, these were significantly different from contemporary sunglasses. The use of original crystals as sunglasses could protect the eyes from glare and conceal people’s facial expressions. This latter function is still be widely pursued by many people especially stars of silent movies. It can help avoid recognition by fans.
It is a widely recognized fact that sunglasses have changed a lot in design and functionality, even since their first widespread application in the early 1900s. By protecting the eyes from sunlight glare, sunglasses can help improve visual acuity and visual clarity. This protection against sunlight is really important and valuable. Most of the eye diseases can be largely prevented by wearing sunglasses when there is bright sunlight. Recognizing this great function, eye doctors even stock various types of disposable sunglasses, which can be dispensed to patients after receiving eye drops during exams. In addition, sunglass lenses can be polarized in order to get additional benefit. Glare reflected by some flat surfaces can further be reduced and filtered out by polarized sunglasses. Certainly, a pair of polarized sunwear costs usually more than an ordinary pair. All these functions are commonly incorporated in contemporary sunglasses.
However, sunglasses in the modern market mean a lot more than functional help. Another significant facet is fashion enjoyment. A majority of contemporary sunglass wearers want to get more benefits from using sunglasses. As an answer, sunwear manufacturers have paid much attention to the design of unique and fashion sunwear styles. Comparing a pair of contemporary sunglasses with an antique pair, it is easy to find that the former one involves more stylish elements and colorful decoration.