Key Difference: Sunglasses refer to eye wear glasses that block the harmful sun rays from reaching to the eyes directly and also guard the eyes from bright light. Aviators are specific types of sunglasses originally branded as a Ray Ban product. Aviators are known for their sleek designs and large lens.

Sunglasses are preferred by everyone, they protect our precious eyes form the harmful rays of sun and are also considered to be trend setters. Sunglasses have been highly popular because of their versatile designs. There are numerous designs, numerous colors of lens and even some crazy designs, but in nutshell they are  one of essential accessories that one must definitely have in his or her personal collection. You might have heard somewhere ‘his aviators were looking good on him,’ and you might have wondered why normal sunglasses are being referred as aviators. If yes! then, this article will clear your doubts. Let us get familiar with sunglasses and then will follow up with aviators, as aviators are types of sunglasses.

What fascinates in summer, is the cool dressing style and of course the trendiest sunglasses and glares. These sunglasses are also used to enhance the style, apart from being used as an eye protection gadget.

Ultra violet rays emitted by the sun are not good for the eyes and thus eyes need to be protected from these rays. Thus, sunglasses provide the protection from these dangerous rays. These rays can also damage vision by clouding eye lens and burning through the delicate film and cells of our retina. Sunglasses have been devised to protect the eyes from the ultra violet rays.  The intense lights can be blocked from reaching to the eyes. It is believed that good sunglasses can block light entering the eyes by as much as 97 percent.

Aviators actually refer to an iconic style of sunglasses that was developed by Bausch and Lomb in the year 1936. These sunglasses are branded as a Ray-Ban product. They have an interesting history behind them. Initially, they were designed for the American pilots and for the other people of the army and therefore, got the name aviator meaning a person who is actively involved in flying an aircraft. They had characteristics like large and teardrop lenses.

They got popularized and now are worn by many people through out the world. Few changes in the original design have occurred, but still most of the features of aviators remain the same.  In 1998, Bausch and Lomb sold the company to Luxxotica, an Italian company and thus the production shifted to Italy from America. They are often made in mirrored, coloured and wrap around styles. However, the lens are just like lens of any regular sunglasses. Typically, lens of aviators for women have larger lens than those of men. On the other hand, men prefer darker shades of lens in aviators.

An aviator can be easily recognized by looking at it, as it has specific attributes like:

•    Thin wire frames
•    Dark lens
•    Large lens (often reflective)
•    Bulging out design of lens
•    Sleek design
•    Soft angels

Aviators have been quiet popular because they are regarded to be in the category of iconic retro products and they also provide greater protection to eyes with their large sized lens. Today, many brands produce aviators and thus lot of variety is available in the market.

Thus, we can now differentiate between normal sunglasses and aviators. All aviators are sunglasses but all sunglasses are not aviators as sunglasses come in various other designs and with various other features.

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