Ray Ban was founded to create aviation sunglasses that would reduce the discomfort of intense shades of blue for US army pilots. It originated thanks to a US colonel who, together with Bausch & Lomb, created the first prototype, known as "Anti-Glare". In 1939, the sunglasses were redesigned with a metal frame and patented as the Ray-Ban Aviator. The brand became famous for its Wayfarer and Aviator models, which are still in use today. In 1999, Ray-Ban was acquired by the Italian optical group Luxottica.