Aviator sunglasses are a style of sunglasses that were developed by Ray-Ban (1937). They are characterized by dark, often reflective lenses having an area two or three times the area of the eye socket, and metal frames with wire temples which hook behind the ears. Contemporary models are often polarized.
Aviator sunglasses were given their name due to their oblique teardrop shape, which matched those of the smoked-lens flying goggles which Ray-Ban was then selling to the Army and Navy. One undesirable result of wearing these goggles was the mismatched tan (dark on the face, white around the eyes) which developed, the oversized aviator sunglasses would hide the white areas, while allowing a limited amount of sunlight through, thus allowing the skin to tan.Legend claims that the need arose for aviator-style sunglasses because military pilots found that sun and glare protection would be helpful to aid them during day missions and dogfights. However, pilots of the time did not wear sunglasses whilst flying.