James Ayscough

James Ayscough (?-1759) was an English designer and maker of scientific instruments.

James Ayscough (?-1759) was an English designer and maker of scientific instruments.
He was apprenticed to an optician named James Mann from 1743 to 1747.

James Ayscough became known for his microscope

Microscope

A microscope is an instrument to see objects too tiny for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy. Microscopic means invisible to the eye unless aided by a microscope.-History:An early microscope was made in 1590 in Middelburg, The...

s. His shop was in London

London

[]London is the capital of England and the United Kingdom. It has been a major settlement for two millennia, and the history of London goes back to its founding by the Romans, when it was named Londinium. London's core, the ancient City of London, the 'square mile', retains its medieval boundaries...

 between 1740 and 1759.

Around the year 1752, James Ayscough introduced spectacles with double-hinged side pieces. Although he made clear lenses

Lens (optics)

A lens is an optical device with perfect or approximate axial symmetry which transmits and refracts light, converging or diverging the beam. A simple lens is a lens consisting of a single optical element...

, he recommended lenses tinted blue or green to treat some vision problems. These spectacles with tinted lenses are believed to be the precursors to sunglasses

Sunglasses

Sunglasses or sun glasses are a form of protective eyewear that usually enclose or protect the eye pupil in order to prevent strong light, ultraviolet rays, and increasingly, blue light from penetrating...

.