All my sightfishing friends give me the same general answer when I ask them about their most important piece of fishing Equipment. “Quality Eyewear. You have to see em’ before you can cast to them and premium polarized sunglasses help you see the fish and the structure they like to be around.” As an optometrist, Dr. Doug Jordan often found anglers among his customers for prescription polarized sunglasses. They wanted sunglasses to use while fishing. Sure, they wanted to look good, but more importantly, they wanted to see better while fishing. Over time it became apparent that his customers were very pleased with the results. Now Jordan is owner of Vicious Vision, a line of premium polarized sunglasses.
“It all started kinda’ by accident,” says Jordan. “I was making lenses for some anglers and they were calling back and saying they were seeing more fish and structure than they had ever seen before. That was not something that we thought was going to happen.” Those positive reports were enough to make Jordan start thinking about launching a new line of sunglasses that featured the lens technology he used in his optometrist practice, but without the prescription. “And the rest, as they say,” affirms Jordan, “is history.”
Jordan goes on to explain that he uses Xperio UV technology in the Vicious Vision sunglasses, just like he does for his private customers. “The lens technology is the secret. This is the most advanced polarized technology there is. It came from research and development by a company called Essilor.” He went on to explain that Essilor is the largest lens manufacturing company in the world. “Essilor owns brands such as Crizal, Transitions and Verilux. Their technology is second to none.”
As a 21-year veteran optometrist, Jordan has always been concerned with ultra violate (UV) radiation and how it affects the eyes. “Angler’s first demands are for polarized glasses that help them catch fish,” says Jordan. “Vicious Vision will definitely help them do that, but I also like to educate them on the dangers of UV radiation and how our lenses are the best eye protection they can get.”
Jordan believes the fishing industry needs to recognize, that especially on the water, we are being bombarded from many directions with ultra violent radiation that can result in cataracts and macular degeneration. “All lenses have sun protection ratings,” comments Jordan. “The highest in the industry right now, besides our lenses, gives a 25 Eye-Sun Protection Factor (E-SPF). Our Vicious Vision eyewear uses the Xperio UV technology to give more than 50 E-SPF. This means your eyes are 50 times more protected wearing our lens vs. not wearing any lens at all.” Needless to say, that is a very important feature as far as UV protection is concerned.
“Most people don’t realize that all the bad stuff with sunglasses reflects off the backside of the lenses,” says Jordan. “It is these coating technologies that Xperio UV is so well known for that are used in Vicious Vision premium polarized eyewear, making them second to none.”
Vicious Vision frames are quickly becoming known for their style and comfort. Jordan designed the frames based on his many years of experience. “I have been fitting glasses for 21 years and these frames reflect every thing I have learned in the process. I know what is going to work, I know what is going to be comfortable, and I have combined all that knowledge to produce these frames.”
Jordan’s combination of technology and experience results in an extremely comfortable pair of sunglasses, good for any fishing application. They offer a 20% increase in contrast sensitivity and elimination of all glare and ghost images. They are also amazingly scratch resistance and double the sun protection of any other polarized lens. You might say they are just what the Dr. ordered.
Understanding the need for prescription polarized lenses, a service many other sunglass companies do not offer, Jordan approached the issue through his own experience. “If you go to our website there is an option to build your glasses online and then select an eye doctor to finish the process. Being an eye doctor myself, I want all our customers to go to their local eye care professional, one who is certified to fit the technology. Nobody knows their eyes better than the individual that examined them, and there are plenty of Essilor labs across the US that can provide this technology.”
Even if your eyewear professional doesn’t carry the Vicious line yet they can contact Jordan and he will send them the frame of choice. “The customer gets the custom measurements, the custom prescription and they will get the absolute best personal experience that a prescription customer can have. I just want the process to flow through the customer’s local eye care provider. All eye doctors across the US use a regional Essilor lab and maintaining the integrity of that relationship means everyone gets the best of everything.”
Like most optometrist offices, Jordan has always carried premium brand sunglasses like Oakley or Maui Jim. If a customer liked the frames but needed a prescription they had to buy the designer frames at retail and throw the lenses out before putting the prescription lenses in.
“You are basically paying for some very expensive lens that you won’t use,” says Jordan. “With the Vicious product line you can buy the frame only. Right off the bat you are saving money because you don’t have to buy the expensive lens just because they are in the frame you want.”
Jordan says his staff has hated that reality for years. It was wasteful and Jordan wanted to change the custom. “Just being in the industry as long as I have there are some things I want to change about it. Having to buy and throw away lenses was one of them. It seems simple, but you are going to have a much happier customer.”
Research shows Xperio UV to be the most advanced polarized lens technology in every category and now it is available in premium sunglasses through Vicious Vision. “I am very fortunate,” concludes Jordan. “I did not invent this technology, I am just very privileged and blessed to be able to use it in the Vicious Vision line of eyewear.
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