May's Style of the Month: Prada

Vision Pro Optical is excited to present another style of the month! For the month of May we will be taking a look at one of the world’s most popular brands in designer eyewear­ Prada!

In 1913, Prada was founded by Mario and Martino Prada in Milan, Italy. Starting out, the store sold leather goods and imported English steamer trunks and handbags. When Mario and Martino’s son did not show an interest in taking over the company, their daughter Luisa took over instead. She ran the company for twenty years before her daughter Miuccia Prada took over in 1978. An Italian man, Patrizio Bertelli, joined the company in 1977 and advised Miuccia on how to better manage the
company.

With Bertelli’s help, Prada began purchasing other brands and soon became one of Europe’s top luxury brands. In 1999, Prada eyewear was formed as a joint venture between Prada and De Rigo.

Prada sunglasses and eyeglasses are still sold all over the world. The glasses are both functional
and trendy! To purchase a pair of Prada eyeglasses of your very own, contact Vision Pro Optical!

April’s Style of the Month

Vision Pro Optical is proud to carry quality sunglasses and eyeglasses. One specific brand,
Ray-Ban, is a brand we are featuring for the month of April. Let’s take a look at the history of
Ray-Ban.

When US Army Air Service pilots were in need of eye protection against the glare from the sun,
causing altitude sickness and headaches, Lieutenant General John MacCready looked to a
medical equipment manufacturer, Bausch & Lomb, for help. Bausch & Lomb was located in
Rochester, New York and was able to introduce a new prototype in 1936 that could effectively
cut out the glare from the sun without obstructing vision. Over time, newer versions and
updates of the product were made. In 1952, they created a style known as the Ray-Ban
Wayfarer that became popular in Hollywood. They can even be seen on James Dean in Rebel
Without a Cause. Other celebrities who wore Ray-Bans include Kim Novak, Marilyn Monroe,
Roy Orbison, and Bob Dylan. In 1999, owners Bausch & Lomb sold the brand to Italian eyewear
company, Luxottica.

Today Ray-Ban is still a popular brand selling in our stores. Men and women love the unique
styles offered by Ray-Ban and the quality seems to be unbeatable. To purchase your very own
Ray-Ban sunglasses or eyeglasses visit Vision Pro Optical.

Are Polarized Lenses Really All That?

There are benefits to polarized lenses, but are they really all that much better than traditional tinted lenses? Are there actual health benefits? Here are some facts below and you can decide for yourself if it’s time to make the switch.



Filter More Light to Reduce Glare

Polarized lenses filter more light than regular tinted lenses. This allows the user to see differently than standard tinted lenses as polarized lenses block that intense light reflected off of surfaces such as roadways and water—they decrease glare. Reducing glare helps give you better depth perception, see colors better, and reduces temporary blindness from bright surfaces.

Reduce Eye Strain

By reducing glare you are also reducing eyestrain. Prolonged eye strain is not only uncomfortable but it can lead to migraines for people with sensitive eyes. If you are going to spend time outdoors you might as well be comfortable.

Improved Vision

A sunny day on a snow covered landscape or a body of water can really stress someone’s eyesight. Such conditions will leave you either squinting if you forgot your shades or less than ideal vision with regular tinted lenses. Due to the light filtering capabilities you can see objects more crisply and clearly, see colors better, and with improved depth perception you may even be able to see further below the surface of the water. This is why fisherman and other water sports enthusiasts love polarized lenses.

Drawbacks

There are some disadvantages with polarized lenses as they may block LED and LCD light displays such as those on your cell phone or dashboard lights. For downhill skiers the glare off of dangerous ice patches might blend into the landscape making avoidance much more difficult.

In most situations it seems the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.

We carry a variety of polarized sunglasses in our Vision Pro optical centers. Stop in today and find the right pair of polarized sunglasses for you!

Tips to Keep Your Glasses from Fogging Up

Winter can be cumbersome for a variety of reasons: from waking up on cold, dark mornings to go to work, having to warm up a cold vehicle, to shoveling snow winter can take its toll on us. Factor in your glasses, be it shades or prescription, fogging up so that now you are cold and practically blind, it can all be really annoying.

There are a few tricks that you can utilize to try and prevent your lenses from fogging up. Some are better than others and can be situational, but they are worth a try.

Anti-Fog Products

There are a multitude of anti-fog products out there, and rating them all is beyond the scope of this blog. Some work better than others of course and prices range from several dollars to over $40 for a 30oz bottle of the premium stuff.

One product, Zooke Anti-Fog, is marketed towards active people that wear glasses or sport goggles. They sell spray and wax specific to visors and goggles and for glasses. We recommend that you ask your eye care provider for a brand that they feel would work best for your specific needs.

Dress to Vent

When spending time outside in the winter you want to dress in secure clothing that directs heat away from you goggles or glasses. For example, if you are wearing a balaclava, wear one that has ventilation. For winter hats try to adjust them so that there is some air flow into and out of your glasses.

Try to avoid taking your glasses on and off and allowing sweat to build up in them. By taking them off, letting them cool, then putting them back on you will create more condensation resulting in foggy vision.

Go Fast!

If you are running, biking, skiing the more air circulation the less condensation will build up on the inside (the warm side) of your glasses. So there is some added motivation to push yourself on your next excursion.

Nothing is 100% when it comes to anti-fogging your glasses and reapplication will always be a necessary. We suggest that you try one of the anti-fog products we sell at our Vision Pro stores since being able to see clearly is pretty important.

Stop in one of our locations today to see if we can help clear up your foggy vision!

March's Style of the Month

At Vision Pro Optical we carry a selection of the finest quality brands of eyeglasses, sunglasses, contacts, and accessories. For this Style of the Month we take a brief look at Oakley.

Like many great origin stories the beginning of Oakley sprouts from modest roots. In the mid 1970’s Jim Jannard questioned the industry standard for motorcycle accessories and parts. In 1975, with $300 and an idea, he designed a truly innovative rubber motorcycle grip and Oakley was born. New ideas would evolve and soon he would be making motorcycle racing goggles.

Jim created the created the O Frame® goggle with, according to Oakley, ‘a lens curved in the perfect arc of a cylinder.’ Oakley’s move into the realm of eyewear had begun. Jim began designing sunglasses specific to sports with the moniker of taking sunglasses from ‘from generic accessory to vital equipment.’

Decades later Oakley has become the standard for quality and innovation for goggles and glasses. Follow this link to view some of their iconic products from yesteryear to today:
http://in.oakley.com/innovation/design/iconic-products

We are proud to carry Oakley sunglasses and sport goggles in our Vision Pro stores. Oakley products have that perfect balance of function and form, and they look good too. If you lead an active lifestyle come on in and find the right pair of Oakley’s for you!

Preventing and Treating Snow Blindness

Imagine ascending a beautiful mountain peak. As you near the summit the sun breaks free from the
clouds illuminating a world of ice and snow. You squint as you try to take in the incredible views. In your hurry to reach the summit you forgot your snow goggles at base camp. Hours later your eyes are watery and bloodshot and feel like they have sand in them: you are suffering from snow blindness.

Can’t relate? You probably aren't a mountaineer or a polar explorer so your chances of suffering extreme snow blindness are rather low. However, relate to this: the glare from snow and ice on a sunny day can damage your eyes. Snow blindness is a form of photokeratitis, which is damage to the eyes from exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays.

Prevention

Take a guess on how to prevent snow blindness? Yup, you got it, sun glasses. If you are out skiing, ice fishing, or just driving, wear those shades or ski goggles. We carry the Bolle and Oakley brands that offer several stylish options!

If you are caught in a situation without protective lenses you can make an emergency pair of shades by cutting two horizontal slits in a piece of available material and secure with tape.

Treatment

● Remove contacts if you wear them
● Place a cold washcloth over your closed eyes
● Use artificial tears
● Take pain relievers as recommended by your doctor or eye care provider

Also, try to avoid rubbing your eyes as you heal. Typically, snow blindness heals in a day or two. If you need some sun glasses or an eye care exam please call or visit one of our Vision Pro locations today!

Saturday Eye Appointments at Kenwood Vision Pro

Most Americans are extremely busy people. There just aren't enough days in the week to get everything done. Sometimes when we are so busy our health takes a back seat to the demands of our jobs, families, or significant other. We forget that if we don’t have our health we have nothing.

At Vision Pro we care about your health and we also know how hard it can be to take time out of your weekday schedule for an eye exam. That’s why at our Kenwood location we have an eye doctor every
other Saturday to conduct eye exams. Sure, going to an eye exam on a Saturday might not be the
highlight of your weekend, but if you like healthy vision eye exams are a must.

Besides finding the right corrective lenses, eye exams can detect a potentially treatable disease that
would otherwise leave you blind. As well as detecting ocular manifestations of systemic disease and
signs of tumors or other potential problems of the brain. If you have a condition that affects your sight get it diagnosed and optimize your vision.

So plan that Saturday out: set up an appointment then take care of some shopping in the Kenwood area. Call to set up your appointment today!