july 2009 - 20/20 magazine2009 tommy bahama group, inc. available exclusively from altair eyewear....

SUNVISIONJ u l y 2 0 0 9

Adding ZestA N A D V E R T O R I A L F R O M A N A D V E R T O R I A L F R O M

Any way you slice it sunwear is summer’s hottest pick

The inimitable Wiley X styling makes these sunglasses far sexier than your average safety-rated specs.

Which means one purchase fi ts many uses. Climate Control eyewear combines ANSI Z87.1-2003 certifi ed

impact-resistant lenses with patented removable gaskets and even light adjusting lenses. For those who

work hard and play even harder, Wiley-X defi nes eye protection. PLEASE CALL 1.800.776.7842 TO REQUEST

A CATALOG OR TALK WITH A WILEY X ACCOUNT REPRESENTATIVE. // WILEYX.COM

CLIMATE CONTROL SERIES Jake // AirRage // Blink

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Ends 10/25/09.

Open to legal residents of the 48 contiguous

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Subject to full offi cial rules available at

www.wileyx.com. Void where prohibited.

IN The MarkeTI love going to my local farmer’s markets.

Here in Manhattan we have quite a

few around including a small one in my

neighborhood that is literally a few steps

outside my building. While some of the

larger ones operate year round, this one

is seasonal. It pops up in June and disap-

pears by Thanksgiving weekend.

During that time, I tend to buy the majority of my fruits and

veggies there. They taste fresher and I’m buying what’s in

season, not what’s been forced to come to bloom en masse

in a hot house and/or made a long trek across the country to

get to my area. Although it’s not always possible, there’s some-

thing nice about being able to buy what’s in season.

That’s the good thing about sunwear. It’s always in season.

However, in areas such as the Northeast and Midwest, retailers

tell us they sell the vast majority of their sunglasses and sun

lenses during the warmer months. They say their patients/

customers are not interested in buying sunwear once the

weather gets colder, even though the vast majority of them are

still wearing sunglasses in the winter months. It’s not as if the

sun goes into hiding come December 21.

The problem lies not with the customers but with the dispensa-

ries. If you push sunwear into the background after the winter

solstice, of course your customers are not going to express an

interest. But if you leave sunwear front and center with seasonal

displays—whether it be skiing and snowboarding goggles or

driving-specific sun lens items that help fight the winter glare—

chances are patients who enter your shop are at the very least

going to browse, giving you an opportunity to initiate a conver-

sation about addressing their sun vision needs.

So don’t pack up your sun stalls when the summer ends.

Drive home the message of good UV protection all 12 months

of the year. Make sure your patients are always in the market

for sunwear.

—Jackie Micucci, 20/20 Executive Editor,

[email protected]

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Jackie Micucci

ART DIRECTION iris Johnson

naMi ahn

SUpplEMENT CREATED By 20/20 MAgAzINE.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF JaMes J. spina

gROUp EDITOR, lENSES & TECHNOlOgyandrew karp

ASSOCIATE EDITOR Melissa arkin

SENIOR RESEARCH ANAlyST Jennifer Zupnick

pRODUCTION MANAgER edward sMiTh

CONTeNTS6 UpfrONT

9 GeT prOTeCTeD

12 SUN SpOTS:The SUNwear CONSUMer

by The NUMberS

15 pICk Of The CrOp

COVER pHOTOgRApHED By ned MaTura

4 | July 2009 | SunVision

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UPFRONTJ u l y E D I T E D B Y J a c k I E M I c u c c I

Shady LadiesThe 62nd annual Cannes Film Festival was quite the shady event. Witness two of the film world’s hottest leading ladies wearing some equally hot luxottica sun styles. Academy Award winner hilary swank sports prada SPR 25L while Italian actress and director asia argento, who was a jury member at this year’s festival, wears dolce & Gabbana D&G 3030 —JM.

Intercast Europe, the Parma, Italy-based manufacturer and supplier of high-quality performance sun lenses, posted strong results for the first part of 2009. The quality and versatility of the NXT platform have made it possible for the Italian firm to form partnerships with leading sunglasses brands such as Beretta, Serengeti and ZeroRh+.

Beretta, the renowned weapons manufacturer, has chosen the Intercast Group to create shooting glasses for its own team. The Beretta shooting glasses use special photochromic NXT—HCNB High Contrast Narrow Band—lenses designed to offer optimal definition and the highest contrast enhancement while preventing eyestrain. The lenses guarantee maximum performance and are on the cutting-edge of vision clarity achieved through a lengthy finishing process called polymerization.

Intercast Europe also signed an exclusive partner-ship agreement with Serengeti Eyewear to manufac-ture a new polarized photochromic lens. Thanks to the use of Intercast’s Advanced Polarized Surface Technology, the polarizing filter of the Serengeti Polar PhD lens is engineered directly onto the back surface of the lens, thereby removing the disadvan-

tages of conventional film-based polarized lenses. With the ZeroRh+ NXT brand, Intercast Europe

is also involved in an exclusive co-marketing initia-tive with Ital-Lenti. Intercast Europe launched LUX, a ZeroRh+ classic, while consolidating multiple mar-keting activities targeting optical channels. This led to the creation of LUX eyewear with Energy NXT Rx Sun lenses, which guarantees consistently bright vision with full respect of the color spectrum, par-ticularly for active prescription lenses wearers.

In addition, De Rigo chose the NXT technology platform for its new collection of Police Eyewear (above). The collection was showcased at this past Mido and includes three new styles in five different colors, made with NXT fronts paired with ultra-light sidepieces in various metal combinations.

—Jackie Micucci

Going Strong

parTnerinGLuxottica Group and Donna Karan International

announced a five-year extension of the license agreement

for the design, production and worldwide distribution of

prescription frames and sunglasses under the Donna

Karan and DKNy brands. The new agreement will run

through December 2014, with an option for a further

five-year extension.

“We are extremely pleased to further our longstanding

partnership with luxottica. The combined experience of our two companies in

design, product development and building brand equity will enable us to further develop our

eyewear business for growth,” says Mark Weber, chairman and CEO of Donna Karan International.


U P F R O N T

Oakley partners with California-born artist

Caia Koopman, whose paintings have been

used commercially as graphics for snow-

boards, skateboards and wakeboards, to

produce a Limited Edition Artist Series of

Oakley’s top-selling sunglass, Ravishing, fea-

turing artwork from Koopman on the temples.

“We chose Caia because of her graphic

approach to painting. Her strong lines, patterns

and deeply defined shapes blend well with

the Oakley Women’s vision—a distinctive

niche Oakley has been carving out in sports

eyewear for active women who want sporty,

sophisticated fashion,” says Jen Bradley,

women’s brand director at Oakley. “Caia’s

innovative artistry is the perfect blend of

nature and style—befitting of the Oakley

woman. We are thrilled to launch this highly

anticipated campaign with her.”

Caia’s artwork has been featured in numerous

national and international magazines, including

Surfing Girl, Mademoiselle, Details, Girls’ Life,

Snowboarder Magazine, Teen, Teen Style and

Teen People. She has also designed T-shirt

graphics and promotional illustrations for

companies such as AT&T, Casio and Op.

The Ravishing design features Oakley’s

proprietary O Matter frame material and

Plutonite lenses and is available with Oakley

Authentic Prescription Lenses (+2.00 through

-3.00 combined power). —Gloria Nicola

Art Partners

July 2009 | SunVision | 9

Most of us spend a large portion of our lives involved in outdoor activities, whether it’s driving down the highway, playing golf or strolling down the street. The world we see, or perhaps don’t see, depends upon the type of sun lenses we are or are not wearing. Much of that world is outdoors and requires some special viewing consideration.

True sun lens performance, in addition to good looks and relief from brightness, must also include the following: VLT—Visible Light Transmission, which is the percentage of light transmitted by a lens. The lower the transmission the darker the lens. This value is an “average” of all the wavelengths being transmitted.

GeT proTecTedSUN lENS INFORMATION TO IMpART ON yOUR pATIENTSBy ANDREW KARp

ULTRAvIOLeT PROTeCTIOn

Though invisible to the human eye, ultraviolet light

presents risks to the delicate skin around the eyes

by the contributing to the formation of premature

wrinkles and various cancers, as well as to the tissues

of the eye itself. prolonged unprotected exposure can

lead to ocular damage in the form of burns, pinguec-

ulas and pterygiums, as well as the increased risk of

cataracts and macular degeneration.

InFRAReD PROTeCTIOn

like UV infrared radiation is invisible. It is the longer

wavelength after the visible color red in the spec-

trum. Infrared radiation creates heat. Dyed plastic

lenses have poor infrared absorption while green

glass lenses absorb IR. Infrared protection may be

obtained through the use of mirror coatings.

BLUe LIGhT/ShORT WAveLenGTh COnTROL

The visible spectrum is the range of wavelengths

our eyes see and blue light is the short wave-

length part of that spectrum. They are readily

scattered by dust or the moist atmosphere of

haze, fog, smog or rain. When blue light is scat-

tered, it does not come to focus on the retina.

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G e T p r o T e c T e d

This condition is sometimes referred to as “blue blur.” With

a portion of the visible spectrum in focus and a portion out

of focus, overall vision lacks contrast and clarity. A lens

that absorbs the blue end of the spectrum will prevent the

scattered light from interrupting a clear focus. Brown,

amber, melanin, yellow and red lenses absorb blue light

and are called high contrast.

SAFe LenS MATeRIAL

While good quality sunglasses are available in all lens

materials from glass to polycarbonate it is important to note

many outdoor activities involve more aggressive action.

As the activity level escalates, incorporate greater levels of

impact resistance into the lenses. A glass sunglass for

fishing in a stream is fine, but for competitive sports

like baseball, lacrosse and field hockey a more impact-

resistant material like polycarbonate (plutonite, Airwear),

Trivex (Trilogy, phoenix) or NXT would be a better choice.

eLIMInATIOn OF GLARe

Overly bright may be a nuisance, but blinding glare

can be dangerous. glare results in a loss of visual

performance, which is produced when an object or

light source in the field of vision is brighter than the

amount of light to which the eyes are adapted. Most

tinted lenses will provide some absorption to dampen

brightness, but only a polarized lens can effectively elimi-

nate blinding glare. According to insurance statistics there are

18,000 car accidents in this country every day with as many

as 6,000 of those accidents directly attributable to over-

brightness and glare. Drivers are particularly vulnerable to

the hazard of blinding glare. The modern style of today’s

streamlined and slanted windshields in combination with the

exterior matched lighter colored dashboards can create

intense glare that can cause temporary blindness leading to

tragedy in a moving vehicle. Drivers need much more than

simple protection against annoying brightness.

CLeAR ACUTe vISIOn

If sun lenses are tinted too dark, the resulting decrease in

light transmission will cause a lowering of visual clarity.

Behind dark lenses the wearer’s pupils enlarge to gather

more light but reduce depth of field. polarized lenses block

excessive light and glare enabling sun protection with

sharpness and clarity.

DOn’T ASK The PATIenT TO IMAGIne A DeLICIOUS COLOR. GIve TheM The ChAnCe TO See IT AnD See ThROUGh IT. The POInT IS TO WheT The APPeTITe BeFORe A WORD IS SPOKen.

Continued from page 9

G e T p r o T e c T e d

COnTRAST enhAnCeMenT

perhaps the most overlooked characteristic of a

quality sunglass lens is its ability to improve visual

performance by enhancing contrast sensitivity

through the use of color filters. Contrast sensitivity

is the ability to distinguish between an object and

the viewing background. If the general use and

type of activity are analyzed, selective use of

colored lenses can enhance the wearer’s ability

to react and perform at a higher level.

The average consumer may get average protec-

tion from any pair of sunglasses, but provide

contrast enhancement for a sport and lenses meet

higher performance needs.

MeRChAnDISInG SUnWeAR

Effective merchandising is critical in the presentation

of sunwear. A dozen plano suns on a corner frame

board will not sell sunglasses.

A large variety, in different price ranges and

styles, should be prominently displayed. If there

is space in the dispensary, a sunglass area should

be developed with a “sun and fun” theme or a

theme that emphasizes both sunwear function and

fashion. Entice the patient into interacting with the

display. Make it brightly lit, so their view of them-

selves is not dimmed when they start trying styles

in front of a mirror.

If the space isn’t there, intersperse the suns with

the ophthalmic frames. Be sure to keep them at

eye level, not the bottom row of the board. Make

use of manufacturers’ point-of-purchase displays.

For instance, the polarization demonstrators are

terrific sales aids. Also, many of the major sun-

glass makers offer striking display cases. Show

tint samples, not fingerprinted lenses tossed in a

drawer, rather, perhaps mounted on some sort of

an artist’s palette or lit wall display. Keep many

samples. Don’t ask the patient to imagine a deli-

cious color. give them the chance to see it and see

through it. The point is to whet the appetite before

a word is spoken.

While a broad range of selection is important,

when presenting sunglasses, less is often more.

This is particularly true of street front windows

and under- or behind-glass presentations. Make

sure the brand names are distinctly visible using

logo plaques and posters.

Since most sunglass companies have one or two

primary looks, be sure that these characteristic

styles are presented in close connection with the

logo and point-of-purchase support for that brand.

This helps the consumer focus their interest.

Remember, dispensers can maximize their sun-

glass unit sales by offering fashion along with

function. It’s an approach that works year-round,

with every type of patient. n

FIve TIPS FOR MeRChAnDISInG SUn LenSeS

4 Begin the discussion about sun lens options in the examination room if possible.

4 Keep the lenses close to the customers: Use counter-top displays rather than wall-mounted displays.

4 Showing is better than telling: Get the patient physically involved in choosing a sun lens.

4 Know your customers’ interests and hobbies: There is a sun lens for every lifestyle.

4 educate your staff so they are confident and knowledgeable when discussing and selling sun lenses.

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Call it an occupational hazard. I’ve been watching “Lost” lately and from time to time I think, “They must be doing so much damage to their eyes,” of the characters, sans sunglasses, stranded on a desert island. I admit there are more pressing issues to be concerned with, like survival for one, but they’re outside all day and exposed to harmful Uv rays! For the rest of us who haven’t happened upon such misfortune, there are no excuses when it comes to protecting ourselves from the sun. Read up on the findings from Jobson Optical Research and don’t let the numbers get lost on you.

–Melissa Arkin

SunSpots (facts and figures about Consumer Sunwear Trends)

has your eye doctor ever spoken to you about the dangers of uV rays? (only asked

of those that had an exam in the last six months)

The jury was out on the doctors imparting information to their patients. Divided almost evenly, 47 percent had been educated by their doctors about the dangers of Uv rays, while 47 percent had not. 92%

8%

63%37%

63%

31%

Not aware ultra-violet radiation is damaging to the eyes

Aware ultra-violet radiation is damaging to the eyes

Had NOT heard of AMD

Had heard of AMD

Somewhat important

Not very important

Very important

Eye doctors had NEVER spoken to them about the dangers of UV

Eye doctors HAD spoken to them about the dangers of UV

Don’t know

Doctors HAD NOT explained what causes the disease

Doctors HAD explained what causes the disease

Unsure if doctors had explained what causes the disease

59% 47%47% 447%

6%

331%

10%

62%30%

58.4%

630%

588 4444444%%%%%%%5888888.....4444444444%%%%%%%8%

how important is it to you that your sunglasses have uV protection?

Of respondents asked, 59 percent said it was very important their sunglasses have Uv protection. Thirty-one percent said it was somewhat important and a smaller number of respondents (10 percent) placed very low priority on Uv protection, citing that it was not very important to them.

92%

8%

63%37%

63%

31%




Had heard of AMD

Somewhat important

Not very important

Very important



Don’t know




59% 47%47% 447%

6%

331%

10%

62%30%

58.4%

630%

588 4444444%%%%%%%5888888.....4444444444%%%%%%%8%


MeThODOLOGYThis sunwear survey was run in April 2009 as a custom study appended to the large-scale continuous consumer-based visionWatch study. The sample was 2,101 respondents. All respon-dents are over 18 and live in the United States. For more informa-tion about how to run your own survey please contact Jobson Research at (212) 274-7164.

have you ever heard of a disease called age-related Macular degeneration, also referred to as aMd? has your eye doctor ever explained what causes aMd? (only asked of those that had an exam in the last six

months)

More than half of those polled (63 percent) had heard of Age-related Macular Degeneration. however, despite the high percentage of those who knew of the disease, among those who had an eye exam in the six months prior to the study only 30 percent said their eye doctors had explained what causes AMD and 8 percent did not know if their doctors had informed them.

are you aware that uV rays can damage your eyes?

Awareness of the danger of Uv rays is strong, like the rays themselves. The majority of respondents (92 percent) reported they were aware that Uv rays can damage their eyes.

92%

8%

63%37%

63%

31%




Had heard of AMD

Somewhat important

Not very important

Very important



Don’t know




59% 47%47% 447%

6%

331%

10%

62%30%

58.4%

630%

588 4444444%%%%%%%5888888.....4444444444%%%%%%%8%

92%

8%

63%37%

63%

31%




Had heard of AMD

Somewhat important

Not very important

Very important



Don’t know




59% 47%47% 447%

6%

331%

10%

62%30%

58.4%

630%

588 4444444%%%%%%%5888888.....4444444444%%%%%%%8%

92%

8%

63%37%

63%

31%




Had heard of AMD

Somewhat important

Not very important

Very important



Don’t know




59% 47%47% 447%

6%

331%

10%

62%30%

58.4%

630%

588 4444444%%%%%%%5888888.....4444444444%%%%%%%8%

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www.

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Channel SurfingOn any given Sunday turn on the

Speed channel and in just a matter of seconds you will see a race car

driver or fan sporting Wiley X shades.REIGN from Wiley X


It is high season for sunwear. Time to get outdoors, let the sun warm your face and the juice from your favorite summer fruit trickle down your chin.We present a virtual farmer’s market of the latest sun styles. —Jackie Micucci

Pick Cropofthe

Photographed by Ned Matura; Trendsetting by James J. Spina

White HeatOnce in the realm of rare,

white zyl frames now rule in sunwear on men and women.

lACEy from Wiley X


Pick Cropofthe


Aviation HistorySafe to say Ray-Ban created

the aviator category. RAy-BAN TECH RB8301 from luxottica Group

Pick Cropofthe

February 2009 | SunVision | 19

And Now For Something Completely Different...

Lafont continues its artistic eyewear evolution built on the energy and enthusiasm of a family dedicated to the art of the frame.

ISSy & lA Bond 55 from lafont


Crystal RightOakley ventures into clear territory

and gets it crystal perfect.COMPulSIVE from Oakley

Pick Cropofthe


Morning PrayersThou shalt worship sun idols like this sizzling hot brand new to eyewear

TRuE RElIGION S11234 from Revolution Eyewear

Pick Cropofthe

Brian Conley in Sideways™ with Oakley Authentic Prescription Lenses

Seeing is believing.

Prescription sunglasses never looked so good. Oakley Authentic Prescription Lenses are made right here in our own lab. We combine our relentless pursuit for lens perfection, one that our athletes and

your customers have grown to trust, with our newest lifestyle frames to create an RX sunglass that’s beyond expectation. It’s one thing to look good. It’s another to be able to see the truth.

OakleyReinvent.com 800-733-6255 ©2009 Oakley,Inc.

Brian Conley in Sideways™ with Oakley Authentic Prescription Lenses

Seeing is believing.

Prescription sunglasses never looked so good. Oakley Authentic Prescription Lenses are made right here in our own lab. We combine our relentless pursuit for lens perfection, one that our athletes and

your customers have grown to trust, with our newest lifestyle frames to create an RX sunglass that’s beyond expectation. It’s one thing to look good. It’s another to be able to see the truth.

OakleyReinvent.com 800-733-6255 ©2009 Oakley,Inc.

july 2009 - 20/20 magazine2009 tommy bahama group, inc. available exclusively from altair eyewear....

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