Why will you ever want to wear sunglasses at night?!

Sunglasses are a form of protective eyewear designed primarily to prevent sunlight and high-energy direct light from damaging or discomforting the eyes.

Sunglasses can also function as a visual aid, as variously termed spectacles or glasses exist including lenses that are colored, polarized or darkened. In the early 20th century they were also known as sun cheaters (cheaters being an American slang term for glasses).

Obviously the other reason people wear sunglasses is to look cool aside its primary purpose which is to protect the eyes from the sun rays. Popularly called ‘Shades’ in Ghana, sunglasses was adopted fast among the Ghanaian youth especially (children included) and everywhere you turn, you were sure to spot at least five people wearing shades; at the beach, campus, parks and even the club.

As Vanessa Brown explained in her book 'Cool Shades; the History and Meaning of Sunglasses', “Ubiquitous in fashion, advertising, film and graphic design, sunglasses are the ultimate signifier of 'cool' in mass culture; a powerful attribute pervading much fashion and pop cultural imagery which has received little scholarly attention until now”.

But in recent times, showbiz makers made it a habit to wear sunglasses at night and this has been adopted by many who look up to such personalities.

At first, it was frowned upon and those who wore it were ridiculed. But slowly it has settled in with most people who wear varieties of sunglasses ranging from classic tortoiseshell frames to outlandish shapes and tints.

They say the eyes are the windows to the soul thus it certainly makes sense to shield them on occasions. The Sunglasses Association of America, however, says, “Sunglasses should not be worn at night. They are not meant to be worn after dark”.

It leaves you with headaches when you squint throughout the night to find your way around a place with dim or no lights. Some go to the extent of driving with sunglasses on, which can be very dangerous as it poses the risk of road accidents.

On the other hand, some people (those who like to party hard at night) wear sunglasses at night to conceal the effects of drugs and alcohol on their eyes.

In copying blindly celebrities who wear sunglasses at night, people who have become a part of this fashion craze forget that these celebrities are aware of the camera lights that continue to flicker in their eyes thus to avoid the numerous camera lights, they use the sunglasses as a shield.

Not only do the likes of Majid Michel, Sandra Ankobiah, Yvonne Nelson, John Dumelo and Nadia Buari use this fashion accessory during the day, popular music artistes like Sarkodie, Samini, D-Black, Shatta Wale, E.L and Edem on the other hand, use them during their stage performances at night and in the clubs.

So unless you are Sarkodie or Shatta Wale who perform at the Vodafone Ghana Music Awards (VGMAs) or move from one television set to the other, wearing sunglasses at night is a no no.