Happy National Sunglasses Day!
June 27 is the annual celebration of one of the world’s most beloved accessories. It also is a day to commemorate, venerate, and elevate both the health and style aspects of sunglasses.
Sunglasses are perfect examples of form meeting function. They don’t just look cool. They protect our eyes from the sun’s harmful UV rays.
The Vision Council is the leading force behind National Sunglasses Day.
“Sunglasses play a crucial role in ensuring better vision for a better life,” says Ashley Mills, CEO of The Vision Council. “Not only is wearing sunglasses integral to overall vision health, but sunglasses empower us to look and perform our best. We welcome everyone to join us as we celebrate National Sunglasses Day (today) and encourage sunglass use year-round.”
The Vision Council encourages everyone to don a pair of shades, take a selfie, and then post it to their respective social feeds using the hashtag: #SolarFlair. The more people that do it, the more awareness is raised.
Here’s The Vision Council’s complete list of suggestions for the day:
- Wear sunglasses when spending time outdoors. (This goes for any day of the year!)
- Post a selfie on social media of yourself wearing a favorite pair of sunglasses. (Don’t forget the hashtag #SolarFlair.)
- Spread the word about UV-safety and the importance of protecting your eyes from the sun’s harmful rays.
We certainly can’t wait to see all the amazing pics!
Sunglasses Facts No. 1
In honor of National Sunglasses Day, we went gallivanting across the expanse of the world wide web to uncover some interesting tidbits on suns.
Here are some fun facts courtesy of the website thefactshop.com:
(Editor’s note: We didn’t double check the “factiness” of these facts. We are putting blind faith behind a website we’ve never heard of. What could go wrong?)
- Did you know that sunglasses have been used for a very long time in human history? Inuit people wore sunglasses with two narrow horizontal slits across them so they could see while partially protecting their eyes from the sun.
- Later in 1913 we saw the introduction of Crooke’s lenses. These were made with a special chemical element called cerium which is known for its ultraviolet-blocking elements.
- Not long after, in the 1920s sunglasses started taking off as a fashion and statement accessory and became incredibly popular for the beach.
- China produces more sunglasses than anywhere else in the world with the port city of Xiamen exporting an estimated 120 million pairs every single year!
- Famous British singer Elton John may well be the number one sunglasses lover in the world as it is said that he owns over 250,000 pairs of glasses!
Sunglasses Facts No. 2
If you don’t trust a random website for your sunglasses trivia, the good folks at Lucyd Eyewear compiled a Top 10 list of interesting sunglasses facts that might meet your standards.
We won’t borrow their entire list. But we will highlight three of our favorite facts from Lucyd’s list:
- The first pair of sunglasses can be traced back over 2,000 years ago to Eskimos who were native to Alaska, Greenland, Siberia and other Arctic regions. Initially used as snow glasses, to protect the eyes from the sunlight reflecting off the snow-laden ground and causing snow blindness, the first sunglasses were made of wood and leather.
- An American loses, sits on or breaks a pair of sunglasses every 14 minutes. This means that in the U.S. alone, a little more than 37,500 glasses suffer at the hands of our clumsiness each year.
- Little over 1 in 4 of the sunglasses that are purchased today, offer adequate UV protection for your eyes. With almost 75% of sunglasses just taking up the role of fashion accessory. You only get one pair of eyes in your lifetime, and we believe that they should be cautiously protected.
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About The Vision Council
The Vision Council brings the power of sight to all through education, government relations, research and technical standards. A leading advocate for the optical industry, the association positions its members to deliver the eyewear and eyecare people need to look and feel their best. Vital to health, independence and safety, better vision leads to better lives. Learn more at thevisioncouncil.org.