Oakley Eyewear Sweeps Private Pilot Magazine's Performance Rankings for Second Consecutive Year

Oakley, Inc.'s sunglasses have once again earned Private Pilot magazine's highest ranking in the publication's annual optical performance test of leading non-prescription sunglass brands. According to the September 2003 issue of the world's leading general aviation magazine, independent lab analysis conducted at ICS Laboratories of Ohio awarded eyewear products from Oakley the highest ranking in every sunglass performance category measured, marking the second consecutive year that Oakley has dominated the competition.

Several Oakley styles took top honors. In the polarized lens category, Oakley Square Wire 2.0 was the top performer; Oakley Splice beat the field in the men's sport category; and Oakley's Fate earned top ranking in the women's sport category.

Robert Cochran, author of the article, noted the importance of optical performance in sunglasses: Do optics really make a difference? For the average person, they certainly do; for pilots, they're an imperative. Anyone who drives a car or flies a plane should be aware of how ordinary sunglasses can corrupt their view of the world. What you see isn't necessarily what you get, and at 200 knots, that's not a good thing.

To conduct the tests, ICS Laboratories purchased sixty-five pairs of non-prescription sunglasses representing numerous brands, including Oakley, Maui Jim, RayBan, Vaurnet and Smith. ICS Laboratories then analyzed the randomly selected eyewear samples using a standardized testing series developed by the American National Standards Institute. Collectively called ANSI Z87.1, the tests measure lens definition, prismatic power, refractive power, prismatic imbalance, and astigmatism caused by imperfections in lens geometries and materials. Additional analysis was performed by an independent optometrist.

The analysis clearly illustrated the wide range of optical performance characteristics consumers are confronted with among non-prescription sunglasses. When lens definition was tested, a vast disparity was immediately evident. In simple terms, this test measures how much an inferior lens can blur an image of thin lines drawn close together and viewed at a distance, Cochran continued, It proves that even ordinary non-prescription sunglasses can change your view, and not in a good way. Private Pilot included photos from testing that gave readers an indication of how vision - even the vision of perfect eyes - can be corrupted by inferior sunglass products.

Oakley has been awarded more than 600 patents worldwide, and many of them protect innovations in eyewear technology. The company's XYZ Optics maintains clarity at all angles of view, even through the sides of Oakley's highly curved lenses, thereby maximizing peripheral vision and protection. In addition to blocking 100% of all UV radiation, Oakley Plutonite is the most optically pure material used for consumer eyewear lenses. The company's polarized lenses utilize a technology that eliminates the haze and distortion of conventional polarized lenses by taking advantage of a proprietary liquid-infusion process that encapsulates and protects the polarizing filter.

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Eva Crow is a successful author and regular contributor to http://www.1st-in-sunglasses.com. Helping you find great deals on discount designer sunglasses.

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Oakley Eyewear Sweeps Private Pilot Magazine's Performance Rankings for Second Consecutive Year