AO Eyewear in Southbridge, MA | Optical Stores

AO Eyewear
The earliest form of sunglass and sunwear made by AO (c. 1876) were glasses fitted with a variety of tinted lenses in blue, smoke, pink, and amber shades. It was in 1913 when AO secured the rights to Crookes glasses (invented by eminent British scientist Sir William Crookes) and that the study of Ultra-Violet protection became an exact science. The Crookes glasses sold then were either clear lenses or various darker shades, obviously for extended outdoor usage. During the early 1930`s, AO was supplying the Air Force with aviator goggles, including the U.S.A.C. Goggle Type B-6 and later the Type B-7 model. The goggles were fitted with several color lenses, including the green calobar, amber, smoke (gray) and clear lenses.
As early as 1940, AO offered prescription-polarized sunglasses to the market. They were (and are) especially helpful on water and snow in the reduction of glare from the reflective surfaces. These glasses became extremely popular from the mid-1980`s onwards, when the consuming public came to appreciate the benefits of polarized eyewear and the value to improved vision when out on the sea or in winter sporting activities.
Contemporary Eyewear - 1958 - Present
It was in 1958 that the Flight Goggle 58, now known as the Original Pilot Sunglass was produced for the US military to provide pilots with maximum protection, optical performance and comfort. Right to the present time, the Original Pilot is still being manufactured in the AO complex in Southbridge, Massachusetts.
In fact the Original Pilot Sunglass was honored to be the first ever sunglass to land on the moon worn by Commander Neil Armstrong and the crew of Apollo 11 in 1969. It now resides on permanent display in the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Subsequent years saw numerous collections of AO frames and sunglasses made and sold. A plethora of fascinating and mind-boggling shapes, colors, sizes, materials and designs were offered. They were the trendsetters in their own right. AO Sunvogue sunglasses could be found on the cool bikers in the 1969 movie, Easy Rider. The hotshot aviators in "Top Gun" wore aviator shaped frames as well.
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508-764-3214