We're all going to have to wear glasses one day, either out of obligation to correct our eyesight, or for aesthetic reasons to embellish and perfect an outfit. Eyeglasses and sunglasses have become a seductive and fashionable asset. With them, changing your look and style becomes child's play. Today, wearing sunglasses and eyeglasses to compensate for visual defects or to counter the sun's harmful rays has become a simple and natural gesture, but this wasn't always the case.

Eyeglasses first appeared in antiquity

In the first century, the philosopher Seneca discovered that observing an object through a water-filled balloon made it appear much larger. He had just discovered themagnifying glass effect and could combat his poor eyesight. The emperor Nero, to name but one, used an emerald as an optical lens to watch and follow gladiatorial combat. With it, he corrected his visual deficiency. In the Middle Ages, monks used a reading stone, a sort of magnifying glass placed over texts. At last, they could combat their incipient or established presbyopia. In 13th-century Florence, the physicist Salvino Degli Armati developed the very first pair of eyeglasses. The lenses were set in wooden rings. The thickness of the lenses enabled small objects and writing to be magnified. From this time onwards, eyewear and ophthalmology developed in Italy.

At the end of the 13th century, the besicle, a temple-less spectacle frame placed on the bridge of the nose, appeared in Venice. Besicles consist of two round convex lenses made of Murano glass, whose optical qualities are far superior to those of older glasses. The lenses are set in circles made of wood, horns or leather. These heavy besicles only improve presbyopia. In the 15th century, besicles were pinched to the nose and fitted with a bridge made of wood, metal, horn, leather, whalebone or tortoise shell, as well as a ribbon tied behind the head or around the ears for better support. It wasn't until 1440, in Florence, that short-sightedness was corrected with special lenses. Besicles were improved in 1645 by Jacques Bourgeois, who designed a lens that was concave in one eye and convex in the other.

In 1728, Edward Scarlett, an English optician, invented frames with short temples ending in a metal ring designed to be placed on the temples. These temple spectacles, as they came to be known, were worn mainly by the nobility, as the short temples slipped under the wig without disturbing it. As fashions changed and wigs lost their notoriety, Edward Scarlett thought of lengthening the temples and curving them to fit over the ears - the first modern spectacle frame was born. Lenses remained round until the end of the eighteenth century, and it was only later that oval lenses appeared, offering better optical quality. In the mid-1950s, eyewear designers turned their attention to eyeglass frames, creating modern, aesthetically pleasing products.

Every year, the market for eyewear and sunglasses continues to grow, thanks to the new collections available. Since the 1980s/90s, eyewear has become a fashion accessory in its own right, ready to complement your outfits and beautify you by adapting to your morphology. Your frames combine ergonomics with aesthetics, while correcting your vision or protecting you from the sun's harmful rays. More and more, eyewear frames and lenses benefit from the latest technological research.

Eyewear and fashion

Since the 1930s, prescription eyewear has become a daring fashion accessory. They accompany you in your daily life and are worn like a jewel. Today, eyewear frames follow the trends of the moment with elegance and chic, while asserting themselves through sophisticated, sought-after styles. Eyeglass frames have evolved over the decades. From 1930 to 1950, RAY BAN's WAYFARER and AVIATOR models were created, and went on to become the brand's flagship models. Adopted by many other brands, they are still relevant today. The 1960s saw the emergence of new shapes and materials. Plastic made eyewear accessible to all young people. Round frames came back into fashion thanks to John Lennon.

1970s: the bigger the frame, the more people like it

1980s: colorful plastic and mainly gold metal frames. 1990s: pierced or thin-framed glasses. Eyeglasses became discreet and refined. Today, they're a throwback to the past, with vintage in the spotlight. Fashion is an eternal restart. Despite the passage of time, your eyewear is still inspired by the famous retro years, the great years when your stars of the small and big screen loved to be seen wearing eyewear by famous brands. Today, each pair of prescription glasses is rewritten by talented designers who strive to adapt them to all morphologies and visual impairments, including the latest technical advances from the world's leading research laboratories.

The 21st century has seen the emergence of a new trend: eyeglasses are no longer there just to correct your visual deficiency, but to enhance your outfits, change your appearance and serve as a medical aid designed to improve your vision of the world around you. Myopes, astigmats, hypermetropes and presbyopes can all benefit from high-performance, high-tech lenses. Non-corrective lenses can also be adapted to your frames for that touch of fun and fashion. Over the years, sunglasses have become an increasingly important part of our wardrobes.

Sunglasses for everyone

With or without correction, sunglasses are a must-have fashion and beauty accessory for everyone, to complete an outfit, go unnoticed and, above all, protect you from the sun's harmful rays, which have become increasingly cruel over the years. Almost any prescription frame can be adapted to sunglasses. Engineers have proven their ingenuity and conformed to demand. You'll discover classic or avant-garde sunglasses, sober or colorful frames. Choose your style according to your taste.

Shaped in resistant acetates, your sunglasses will become part of your personality. If you like fantasy, OVERZISE frames will catch your eye. Elegant women will love the butterfly shape, available in so many models and colors. Rectangular frames will suit every physiognomy. Thick or thin temples, bright and sparkling shades, you'll assert your character every time you go out.

Sunglasses aren't just for show, they also come with protective lenses to enhance your vision of the details and landscapes around you. Polarized lenses let you see in daylight without being dazzled by light-reflecting surfaces like water and snow. They'll give you better contrast on the world around you. With them, your visual acuity will be significantly improved. People with fragile eyes will rediscover the pleasure of long walks and a lost joie de vivre. Patients who have undergone myopia or cataract surgery will appreciate the comfort offered by polarized lenses on their sunglasses.

Mirrored lenses will be adopted by all those who want to keep their air of mystery and go incognito. Variable-tint flash lenses have a slight shimmering effect that increases in the sun, giving you a unique look and flawless protection in very sunny environments. By opting for sunglasses with flash lenses, you'll shine in society.

High-performance sports glasses for all athletes

Amateur and professional sportsmen and women alike know that you need to be well-equipped to practice a sport safely. Protecting your eyes and eyesight is a must. Whether you're a skier, cyclist, skipper, hiker or runner, you all need sunglasses that will fit in with your leisure activities and save you a lot of trouble. Leading brands such as Oakley, POLAROID, JULBO, VUARNET and MAUI JIM, to name but a few, have taken a close look at the subject to solve any problems you may encounter.

You'll find frames that slip on under a helmet, contoured eyewear to keep your performance undisturbed, and corrective and non-corrective lenses that adapt to all the weather conditions you'll encounter during your activities. Wraparound glasses will protect you from splashes, while polarized lenses will be exceptional for the sea or the mountains, preventing glare caused by reverberation. Each pair of sports glasses can be fitted with corrective lenses if you feel the need.

Magnifying glasses, an effective aid

Around the age of 40, your eyesight starts to deteriorate, and presbyopia creeps in. Your eyes tire very quickly, and the lack of light quickly makes itself felt. Glasses specially designed for reading and small, meticulous jobs are now on the market. They'll make your work easier, whether you're threading a thread through the eye of a needle, making models, collecting stamps or simply reading very small written texts, or tinkering in your workshop.

These glasses are available without prescription from your local MYMONTURE optician. Magnifying glasses don't need to be corrected in the same way as a pair of glasses adapted to your visual disorder. With the lenses fitted to a frame, you'll have your hands free to go about your business. The magnifier will cover your entire visual field, for a comfortable viewing experience.

On your MYMONTURE site, the famous MONTANA brand offers you a collection of reading glasses with a contemporary, modern style. Your qualified opticians will be able to advise you on the lenses and diopters, as well as the magnification power of the magnifiers, that will suit your eyesight.

Low vision" glasses: specific aids

What is low vision? Low vision is defined as the impossibility of fully correcting a patient's vision with conventional equipment. This visual impairment is called malvoyance. To help these sufferers, the ESSILOR group has developed magnifying lenses with selective filters that adapt to all types of frames with large enough temples, offering the visually impaired a new autonomy in their daily lives.

The filters will improve contrast perception, providing great comfort for the visually impaired, while the magnifiers will enable text and small objects to be magnified, and can be illuminated for better light rendition and greater visual acuity. Low-vision optical glasses are designed to enhance near and distant images, while giving you great freedom of movement - no need to hold a magnifying glass in your hands. Electronic aids combining magnification, contrast and voice synthesis are available for the most severe cases.

Glasses today

In conclusion, eyeglasses and sunglasses have become indispensable fashion accessories for everyone, both to correct your eyesight and protect it from the sun, and to enhance your beauty by adding that touch of chic and class always sought after by lovers of fine things. Leading fashion designers such as EDEN PARK, BOSS HUGO BOSS, DOLCE & GABBANA, EMPORIO ARMANI, PAUL AND JOE and many others have seized the eyewear and sunglasses market and put them on the world's best catwalks. Fashion icons took to the catwalks, decked out in eyewear and sunglasses by world-famous names.

Sunglasses, sports and eyewear specialists such as RAY BAN, VUARNET, OAKLEY and POLAROID, to name but a few, are constantly perfecting their products to satisfy you and your needs at all times. Your MYMONTURE site will meet your every need. Certified opticians are on hand to answer your questions. MYMONTURE is constantly being enriched with the best products on the market at unbeatable prices. Don't hesitate any longer and visit your MYMONTURE site. Select your frames and try them out in 3D. You'll be pleasantly surprised by the quality of their service.