Opti Munich report: Sports eyewear

January may be marked on the Munich show calendar for optics but there is a much bigger event that many of the sports eyewear providers at Opti were waiting for. IPSO, also in January in Munich, is a sports event that hosts 2,700 exhibitors and 80,000 visitors.

Many of the big sports eyewear companies were planning to return, and launch new products, at that event. In the meantime they were making the most of the optical audience. Oakley was certainly planning a return to IPSO for its major launches but was showcasing its Prizm lens technology at Opti.

Peter Walberer, from the technical team, explained that by working with athletes, and using spectral analysis, lenses for specific sports and conditions had been developed. ‘The idea behind it is to give the athlete what he wants so he can concentrate of his sport. Protecting the eye from light and other outside influences,’ said Britta Dornick, brand manager for Oakley. In common with other suppliers Oakley had a broad spread of its out-and-out, extreme sports frames plus more street-oriented styles.