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It is said that the Roman emperor [[Nero]] liked to watch [[gladiator]] fights with smaragdus. These, however, appear to have worked rather like mirrors.<ref>[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plin.+Nat.+37.16 Pliny the Elder, The Natural History, Book XXXVII, Ch. 16]</ref> | It is said that the Roman emperor [[Nero]] liked to watch [[gladiator]] fights with smaragdus. These, however, appear to have worked rather like mirrors.<ref>[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?lookup=Plin.+Nat.+37.16 Pliny the Elder, The Natural History, Book XXXVII, Ch. 16]</ref> | ||
Flat panes of [[Smoky quartz]] which offered no corrective powers but did protect the eyes from glare were used in China in the [[12th century]] or possibly earlier. Contemporary documents describe the use of such crystals by judges in Chinese | Flat panes of [[Smoky quartz]] which offered no corrective powers but did protect the eyes from glare were used in China in the [[12th century]] or possibly earlier. Contemporary documents describe the use of such crystals by judges in Chinese courts to conceal their facial expressions while questioning witnesses.{{Fact|date=March 2007}} | ||
[[James Ayscough]] began experimenting with tinted lenses in spectacles in the mid-18th century. These were not "sunglasses" as such; Ayscough believed blue- or green-tinted glass could correct for specific vision impairments. Protection from the sun's rays was not a concern of his. | [[James Ayscough]] began experimenting with tinted lenses in spectacles in the mid-18th century. These were not "sunglasses" as such; Ayscough believed blue- or green-tinted glass could correct for specific vision impairments. Protection from the sun's rays was not a concern of his. |