Policeman Sunglasses

Post Reply New Topic

When I was a teenager, I bought a pair of policeman sunglasses. These were sunglasses that had a perfectly reflective mirrored finish.

I found it to be very interesting wearing these. It was almost like I was invisible. No one could see into my eyes. It was like I was in a box with a one way mirror. All that anyone ever saw when they looked at me was a reflection of themselves. Normally I never look into people's eyes, an Aspie trait. But when I wore these glasses, I could easily look them right into their eyes. I could walk right up to their face and they couldn't see my eyes. I suspect most people found the glasses intimidating when they looked at me. But I didn't really care, because I felt free of their stares.

So I was just wondering if anyone else ever tried wearing this type of eye-ware and if so what were their experiences.

There are several Aspies that have a condition called agoraphobia. Some find it very difficult to even leave their own homes due to their stress levels. I wondered if policeman type sunglasses might be one of the tools available in the Aspie toolkit to help those with that condition venture out into the unknown.

It was kind of the opposite for me.
I knew a guy who wore those and I could look at his glasses because I couldn't see his eyes, just my own reflection.
But I don't think I could look anyone in the eyes if I was wearing those glasses because I could still see their eyes and I have a sensitivity to eyes.
If everyone wore them I would make good eye contact.
If I wore them no one would know I wasn't making eye contact.
Either way would work.

But maybe it would help someone with agoraphobia.

I wear sunglasses.
I can't make eye contact with them on still, but no one can tell which is still a huge up!
And definitely needed for light sensitivity and eye fatigue.

Looking a little more into this subject:

One website reads - Sunglasses shield the eyes which limits the other person to assess the response of the user. This is an advantage that cops use, by not letting the other person see their response and feelings. Sunglasses also shield the actual position and action of the eyes of an individual, through which cops and special service officers can easily view their surroundings without giving any indication to anyone.

---------------------------------------------------------

Another website reads - Sunglasses put you in a position of power over someone that does not have them. Being able to look into someones eyes gives you a lot of insight into what they are feeling and thinking.

Think about how much you can read from a person’s eyes. Are they scared? Are they thinking? Are they looking at what they are thinking about? Are they looking where they are going next?

Imagine yourself as a police officer for a moment. As the officer you come up on a situation you are unsure of, and are somewhat nervous. By having on sunglasses you hide an important part of your body language that might accidentally display fear to someone who does not need to see it. By covering your eyes you maintain the tactical advantage of hiding your fear.

Now imagine yourself as the civilian. The officer approaches and you cannot see his eyes. You cannot read what he is thinking but you can imagine what he is capable of. Not being able to read him [the police officer] creates uncertainty, which means he [the officer] has the advantage.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Another website reads: Our earliest accounts of sunglasses come from 12th century China, where some individuals from among the aristocratic classes reportedly wore glasses with smoky quartz lenses to protect their eyes from the bright sunlight. Such shades were also popular with China's judges, because they hid any emotional response the judge might exhibit while listening to testimony. Justice is blind, but the dark glasses help all the same.

Psychologist Paul Ekman, an authority on facial expressions, says that of the 23 facial expressions relating to human emotion, about one-third involve the eyes. Shades may slightly obscure your view of the world, but they also hide the world's view of how you are feeling.

Not being able to see a person's eyes greatly reduces our ability to infer his or her emotions. For example, telling a fake smile from a real one can be difficult, but if the smiler is wearing shades then detecting the sham smile is almost impossible. In a real smile, a muscle called the orbicularis oculi is activated, creating a hard-to-fake crinkling around the eyes. The eyes truly are the windows to the soul.

----------------------------------------------

It seems like NTs are always misinterpreting Aspies intentions. They look us in the eyes and imagine our thoughts, so maybe by wearing mirror sunglasses we deprive them of this tool of assessing our intentions and our vulnerabilities. So maybe this has a therapeutic value for Aspies.

I would like those mirror sunglasses because when people stare at me they will just be staring at their reflection and maybe they will realise how intimidating staring at a total stranger is. But I can only wear sunglasses if it's really sunny.

I own a pair of these: