Sunglasses are a great invention. They were invented in the 12th Century by the Chinese. By the 1800's sunglasses were avalible in stores in a variety of shapes and sizes. Today there are far more varieties to choose from and not all are used for the sole purpose of blocking out the sun. Sometimes they are used when playing poker to hide the eyes, some times they are sused by Ophthalmologists(eye surgens) to protect a patients eyes after a procedure.