Greetings from sunny Nor-Cal! Lately we have been lucky enough to have excellent winter shredding weather and so I decided to get out on the hill for the day. While we were hanging out enjoying the sunny weather and hiking the hill I had a great idea for today’s blog: Shades.
Eye protection from the sun has existed around the globe for thousands of years, however shades haven’t always been as stylish and protective as they are today.
Inuit Snow Glasses. Courtesy of Wikipedia.
Some of the earliest protective eyewear consisted of a narrow slit cut into a solid lens which functioned more to restrict the quantity of light reaching the eye than to restrict the intensity of it (like with modern sunglasses). The first tinted modern glass lenses were developed around 1752 by James Ayscough who was experimenting with tint colors in an attempt to correct certain visual impairments. Not until much later was the fashion appeal of sunglasses evident. In the early 1900s, shortly after the birth of film and cinema, movie stars wearing shades to prevent fans from recognizing them began to explode the popularity of the eye accessory. In 1936 Edwin H. Land began producing the first polarized lenses for glasses while experimenting with his patented Polaroid Filter. More recent developments for shades also include the use of advanced materials in the lenses, such as polycarbonate, to strengthen and reduce the weight of the lenses.
It is always important to protect your health while out on your board. I mean, boarding for life sounds a lot more attractive than only boarding for a few years right? While our sport has a huge emphasis on safety due mainly to the higher speeds and increased danger of permanent injury, it is easy to forget when we suit up for riding that our eyes need protection too.
Electric BSG Shades in Black/Rasta
Beyond just protecting your eyes from UV rays, the right shades will increase your performance by reducing glare, meaning better visibility, and even making you look cooler as you shred down the hill. If you are looking for a great deal on that new pair of shades for this season then check out our Webstore’s fantastic selection of eyewear from manufacturers like Electric, Spy, and Von Zipper.
Until the next post have fun shredding and keep the stoke!
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on Wednesday, January 18th, 2012 at 11:40 am and is filed under Electric, Longboards, Skateboard Sports, Spy, Sunglasses, Von Zipper.
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