A suburban business has been around for nearly two centuries, and has a pretty impressive history.
American Optical is the oldest optical company in America, dating all the way back to 1883, according to Scott Shapiro, the executive director or Europa Eyewear.
"This company was responsible for making corrective eyewear accessible to Americans in ways it never was before," Shapiro said. "Especially during the world wars, American Optical was center ,literally, to the war effort, in some cases actually setting up optical right there on the battlefield."
Whether you know the company or not, you've probably seen a pair worn by prominent leaders in history.
"If you look closely at any picture of Malcolm X, you'll always see that he's wearing the Sirmont [model],"Shapiro said. "Probably one of the most famous fans was JFK [wearing] Saratoga sunglasses."
The original Pilots model was the first pair of sunglasses ever on the moon.
ABC7 got a behind the scenes tour of AO's factory in Vernon Hills, where locals hand build and finish each pair of sunglasses.
Each and every step, from assembling the temples, to installing the hinges, even making sure the frames are square, is done by hand.