The artists used a mix of lenses, hinges, frame arms, nose pads, side shields and retainer-cord segments from hundreds of Costa sunglasses to create the mounted fish sculptures.

Each fish was built using a lens color and frame that you’d typically wear to catch that particular species. The blue marlin model glows with dozens of Costa’s 580 blue-mirror lenses as scales and silver and black frame arms as fins. Side shields and retainer cords add realistic detail to the body of the billfish.

Green-mirror lenses, nose pads and hinges work together to create a lifelike bass. For the tarpon’s scales, the artists used more than 150 Costa 580 silver-mirror and gray lenses. The fish also features frame arms to shape the fins and mouth, with a Costa ‘C’ logo accentuating its eye.

“You use every part of the Costa sunglass technology to help you catch a fish — the lens color and material, the frame fit, – so we used every part of the sunglasses to create the fish models,” said Tim Cole, creative art director at McGarrah-Jessee, Costa’s ad agency who produced the concept. “We meticulously calculated the amount of sunglass parts needed for each fish — they’re built to scale – and then worked with experienced model makers to bring the vision to life.”

Model makers McConnell & Borow/PropArt in New York were tapped for the job. The firm specializes in creating award-winning miniature sets, props, displays and editorial illustrations using a variety of materials such as acrylic, wood, metal, glass, plaster, clay, resin — and now, sunglasses.

“The most challenging and interesting part in building these fish sculptures is that we were working with materials (the sunglasses) that are made to be wiped clean and not hold dirt or smudges. We had to find adhesives that would work with the ‘stick repellency’ of the materials along with wiring that would hold, while not showing through in the finished product” said Mark Borow, owner of McConnell & Borow, Inc./PropArt. “We’ve worked in a lot of different mediums before to build models, but I can honestly say building fish sculptures out of Costa sunglass parts has been one of my most unique and rewarding experiences.”

“We were founded by fishermen, and its avid fishermen who still work here,” said Al Perkinson, Costa’s vice president of marketing. “Fishing is at the heart of everything we do – it’s why we work so hard to build the best sunglasses on the planet for anglers. So it was no surprise that the inspiration for our latest brand campaign came directly from the fish.”

Costa plans to donate the fish sculptures to fishing and outdoor advocacy groups later this year.

For more information, call 800-447-3700 or visit Costa Del Mar.

Article from: http://www.bdoutdoors.com/story/costa-sunglasses-fish-art/

Why?

Those of us who enjoy fishing need to take extra precaution. Just a short time on the water can be very dangerous to our eyes. Not only do we have to worry about UV rays from the sun, but when you add the reflection of the sun off of the water, fishermen are at even more risk.

Polarized lenses payoff in more ways than one.

Wearing sunglasses can help, but wearing sunglasses with polarized lenses really helps. Polarized lenses don’t only protect your eyes; they give you a far greater ability to see into the water. For fishermen, this can be crucial. There are many kinds of polarized lenses out there, but if you want the best, look at the Costa Del Mar 580 lenses. According to Costa Del Mar, the 580 lens removes yellow light, which is the cause of poor on water vision. It raises the red, blues and greens giving you sharper contrast, purer vision, and in the end, more fish. Not to mention, the sunglasses look good.

Sight & Sun Eyeworks carries an entire line of Costa Del Mar frames for you to choose from. We can even order polarized lenses with your prescription to make your sunglasses customized to your eyes! Come in and see us at any of our four locations: Pensacola, Perdido, Gulf Breeze and Navarre!

Be safe, enjoy the water, and get out there and catch some fish!

Normal age-related changes such as reduced peripheral vision and slower visual reaction time can affect driving safety. Eye problems such as early cataracts can compromise night driving vision, even before symptoms become apparent.

In fact, motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury in adults between the ages of 65 and 75, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control.

To stay safe on the road, follow these safety tips for drivers over age 60:

Use extra caution at intersections. A recent study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety found 40 percent of fatal collisions involving older drivers occurred at intersections. The most common reason for these crashes was a failure to yield, especially when making a left turn.

Avoid driving on unfamiliar streets at night. The National Safety Council says traffic death rates are three times higher at night than during the day. Consider reducing your night driving when possible, and avoid routes with poor lighting.

Don’t use your cell phone while driving. This is a bad idea at any age, and older drivers are slower to react to a driving emergency, even without the distraction of a cell phone. Have your eyes examined annually. The American Optometric Association recommends yearly eye exams for anyone over age 60.

Ask about eyewear features that might improve your driving safety. Lenses with anti-reflective coating, for example, can help reduce glare at night. Schedule an appointment today by clicking the button below or calling 850.932.4184.

Thank you to ALL Veterans who have bravely served this great nation.

11.11.11: That’s the date today. All 11′s. the eleventh day of the eleventh month of the eleventh year. That’s kind of cool. Many people have set out to have special events on days like this, particularly getting married. Most women seem to do that so their brand new spouse will have no trouble remembering their anniversary date. Yeah, good luck with that.

However, something also that’s pretty cool about the 11.11.11 date is today is Veterans Day. Here at Sight & Sun Eyeworks & Navarre Family Eye Care, we LOVE our veterans. We proudly wear red shirts on Fridays and give to many of the local and national charities such as Wounded Warrior Project & USO.

And what I have found is that some people confuse Veterans Day with Memorial Day. Here’s a quick break-down of the two very important days that we celebrate:

• Memorial Day: This day is set aside to remember all of those brave and courageous men and women, who in the face of combat, laid down their lives for the greater good of our country. These men and women were often husbands and wives, fathers and mothers and at the very least, sons and daughters. These Airmen, Soldiers, Seamen & Marines were told told to protect and defend our great nation and unfortunately & regrettably lost their lives. This day is set aside for them and them alone – our fallen heroes.
• Veterans Day: On this day, we celebrate ALL who have served, past & present. Regardless of branch & time of service, we honor them. In today’s time, we have an ALL VOLUNTARY military. There is no requirement to serve – none. When the young men and women are sworn in to defend this country and Constitution, it is by their choice and theirs alone. So today, we honor them.

One of the things I teach my seven year old son to do is when we see a veteran or a military retiree is to stop what we’re doing, walk over to the gentlemen and I say, “Landon, let’s thank this real live hero for what he has done for our great country.” And I shake hands with the soldier and have my son do the same as we say “Thank you “.

So should you be out enjoying a lunch, shopping at the store or just walking in a park and you see someone in uniform or maybe one of those ubiquitous navy blue hats that say “retired”, shake their hands, look them right in the eyes and say, “Thank you”. That is the very least we can do for them. And trust me, it means a ton to them that you would even take the five seconds out of your day to do that.

And while we honor the veterans on this day, we also honor them every day by giving them 20% off services everyday. This includes pair of glasses & professional fees.*

Below is just an excerpt from Wikipedia on Veterans Day.

Veterans Day, formerly Armistice Day, is an annual United States holiday honoring military veterans. It is a federal holiday that is observed on November 11. It coincides with other holidays such as Armistice Day or Remembrance Day, which are celebrated in other parts of the world and also mark the anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I. (Major hostilities of World War I were formally ended at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice.)

History

The U.S. President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed an Armistice Day for November 11, 1919. In proclaiming the holiday, he said

To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations.

The United States Congress passed a concurrent resolution seven years later on June 4, 1926, requesting that the President Calvin Coolidge issue another proclamation to observe November 11 with appropriate ceremonies. An Act (52 Stat. 351; 5 U.S. Code, Sec. 87a) approved May 13, 1938, made the 11th of November in each year a legal holiday; “a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as ‘Armistice Day’.”

In 1953, an Emporia, Kansas man named Alvin King the owner of a shoe repair shop, had the idea to expand Armistice Day to celebrate all veterans, not just those who died in World War I. King had been actively involved with the American War Dads during World War II. He began a campaign to turn Armistice Day into “All” Veterans Day. The Emporia Chamber of Commerce took up the cause after determining that 90% of Emporia merchants as well as the Board of Education supported closing their doors on November 11 to honor all veterans. With the help of U.S. Representative Ed Rees, also from Emporia, a bill for the holiday was pushed through Congress. President Dwight Eisenhower signed it into law on May 26, 1954.

Celebration

Because it is a federal holiday, many American people have the day off from school or work for Veterans Day. A Society for Human Resource Management poll in 2010 found that 21 percent of employers planned to observe the holiday in 2011.

Non-essential federal government offices are closed. No mail is delivered. All federal workers are paid for the holiday; those who are required to work on the holiday sometimes receive wages for that day in addition to holiday pay. The holiday is often celebrated by having a ravioli meal. This tradition dates back to the ending days of World War I when President Woodrow Wilson, aware that the returning soldiers would be longing for home cooked meals, invited 2,000 soldiers to the White House and helped his staff chefs cook them ravioli, which had just become a mainstay in mainstream American kitchens due to commercial canning. Free meals for Veterans are offered in many fast food and casual dinner restaurant chains. In his Armistice Day address to Congress, Wilson was sensitive to the psychological toll of the lean War years: “Hunger,” he remarked, “breeds madness.”

*Discount may not be combined with any other offers and may not be used on contact lens.

Tommy L Neel is the Web Developer for Sight & Sun Eyeworks and a former United States Marine.

In honor of World Blindness Awareness Month taking place in October, SSEW encourages everyone to become more empowered about their eye health by browsing our vast collection of eye problem & eye health self educational videos. These high quality videos cover a wide range of eye issues that can occur (symptoms and treatments), as well as plethora of information to help you learn and prevent certain issues.

According to a 2005 study by Neilson/Net Ratings, a global leader in media and market research, the internet is considered the most trusted source for health information after physicians.  As the number of Americans seeking health care information on the Internet grows, SSEW plans to match that trend by providing website visitors centralized vision care information, written in language that is clear and easy for them to understand.

Contained within our site, you will learn more about the leading causes of blindness such as cataracts, glaucoma or macular degeneration, learn about any one of our 12 doctors on staff and even share important health topics with family and friends through our convenient social media buttons – Facebook, Twitter, E-Mail and others.

*According to the World Health Organization.

• Drops to prevent infection
• Drops to keep the eye moist
• Drops or a bandage contact lens for pain.

Expect to see your eye doctor once a day until healing is established.

Once the pain has been managed you may start wondering how did this happen, and when will it heal.  Generally speaking, the eye heals very fast.  The cornea (the part of the eye a contact lens rests on) has many layers.  When the layers are disrupted or abruptly removed an abrasion is formed.  Causes can be mechanical (ex: tree branch in eye), chemical (ex: soap in eye), or from dehydration (ex: extremely dry eyes).  Most abrasions are completely healed in seven days; many times the intense pain is only for the first 24 to 48 hours.  Good clear vision takes the longest to heal.  One key point to remember is it is very important to keep the eyes wet so that the abrasion does not re-occur.

Most people, when this happens or any other minor eye condition, immediately think to go the their family physician to be seen. You should absolutely come to see your eye doctor first. Sometimes there may be additional problems that the or she is just not equipped to handle and will refer you to us anyways. Skip the extra medical bill and just come see us first.

Remember us next time you have any eye problems. Call us anytime – during working AND non-working hours for this or ANY eye emergency: 850.479.7379.

Sight & Sun Eyeworks of Gulf Breeze Computer & Kids

Kids and computers are nearly inseparable these days. With school-age kids and even preschool children spending hours in front of a computer every day, many parents wonder if too much computer use is harmful to their child’s eyes.

Here’s good news: Recent research suggests computer use among preschool children may actually improve their readiness for school and academic achievement. But too much of anything can be a problem.

Like adults, children who spend hours in front of a computer are at greater risk of developing computer vision syndrome — a condition characterized by eye strain, headaches, and other overuse and fatigue symptoms. Some specialists believe prolonged computer use by young children might put them at risk for progressive myopia (nearsighedness).

For these reasons, it’s a good idea to set guidelines for your children when it comes to the amount of time they spend in front of a computer.Experts say children working at a computer or playing computer games should take a break every 20 to 30 minutes to stand and stretch. During these breaks, your child should look at something far away for a few seconds to relax his or her eyes. Doing so can help reduce focusing fatigue that can cause eye strain and may increase the risk of nearsightedness.

To prevent headaches and neck and back pain, make sure your child has a comfortable workplace for computer use, where they can sit with good posture at a comfortable distance from the screen without slouching forward.

To make sure your kids are ready for computer use at school, schedule a comprehensive eye exam for them prior to the start of every school year.  Schedule an appointment today by clicking the button below or calling 850.932.4184.