Time has a way of changing human perspective. Children see the world through the limits imposed by the inexperience of youth. But experience increases with every passing birthday. By the time one reaches the golden years, their perspective has completely changed. It has evolved over decades of living.

A simple but effective illustration is found in a pair of sunglasses. I will relate my own story just to provide some context. Needless to say, if my perspective on sunglasses can change so drastically, so can my perspective on just about anything.

1. I Want to Be like Dad

Sunglasses for kids were not as prevalent when I was growing up in the 60s and 70s. A kid who wore sunglasses was likely wearing an older pair no longer needed by mom or dad. That was me. As a young kid, sunglasses were what dad wore when he went outside. I had no idea why. I just knew that to be like him, I needed my own pair. Thankfully, he had an old pair he didn’t need anymore.

2. Shades Make Me Look Cool

By the time I was a teenager, sunglasses were about looking cool. That was the late seventies and early eighties. Our heroes were guys like Ronnie Wood and Stevie Wonder. Both wore sunglasses for different reasons, but we didn’t care. They were cool. We wanted to be like them. If that meant delivering newspapers to save up enough money to buy sunglasses at the local drugstore, so be it.

3. The Sun Hurts My Eyes

The teen years eventually gave way to adulthood. At that stage of my life, my job entailed driving 6 to 8 hours per day. It was then that I realized the sun hurt my eyes. I still wanted my designer shades to look cool, but I was more concerned about finishing the workday without strained eyes and a terrible headache.

That is the point at which I began looking at tint. For me, darker was better. The less sun in my eyes throughout the day, the more comfortable I was. I was even known to throw on a hat – even though I hated wearing one.

4. Watch Out for UV Rays

I was somewhere in my thirties when the medical community began bombarding us with messages about UV rays. They started telling us we should be wearing sunglasses outdoors even on overcast days. Sunglasses were suddenly a necessary tool to prevent macular degeneration and cancer.

Incidentally, Salt Lake City’s Olympic Eyewear says that tint has nothing to do with UV protection. Tint only blocks direct sunlight. Sunglasses have a special filter (it’s transparent) that blocks UV rays.

5. Sunglasses for Medical Reasons

Now on the upper end of my mid-fifties, sunglasses have an entirely different purpose. Yes, the sun still hurts my eyes and UV rays are still floating around out there. But now I suffer from a neurological condition that makes both light and motion very difficult to look at.

I always wear my sunglasses outside. I also wear them in the car, even at night. Sometimes I wear them while watching TV or when gathered with large groups of people. It is no longer a matter of looking cool. Now it’s about avoiding visual triggers.

Time is interesting. It has a way of altering our perspective on many things. If I knew in my childhood what I know now, my perspective would have been completely different. I am glad I didn’t know. It takes a whole lifetime of perspective and experience to make us who we are. If you are like me, you relish it.