Oakley: the first optically correct 3D glasses

Oakley, Inc. has announced the launch of the world’s first optically correct 3D glasses: Oakley 3D Gascan®. Backed up by its exclusive HDO-3D™ technology, these prestigious glasses were designed to guarantee unprecedented three-dimensional performance with the excellent sharpness and comfort that distinguish the Oakley brand. Oakley 3D Gascan® will complement and optimize the technology used by the majority of 3D movie theaters throughout the world.

"This is a landmark moment in 3D entertainment", said Oakley CEO Colin Baden. "We began with a single goal: to set the standard for optical performance in 3D. No one has ever engineered optically correct 3D glasses. We collaborated with industry partners and used the DreamWorks facility for testing. For Oakley 3D Gascan® we achieved unparalleled visual clarity while extending the wearer’s peripheral viewing angle and providing perfect alignment of three-dimensional images. This is a technological breakthrough that sets a new standard for 3D", Baden concluded.

It should be noted that the expression "optically correct" does not refer to prescription correction. Conventional non-prescription lenses designed and produced using technologies of an inferior quality cause vision distortion due to deficiencies, including refractive and prismatic strength or optical astigmatism. Created as a variant of the company’s High Definition Optics® (HDO®) technology, Oakley’s new HDO-3D has solved these vision defects and enabled the brand to launch the world’s first optically correct 3D glasses.

Thanks to HDO-3D technology, Oakley’s three-dimensional glasses virtually eliminate ghosting and “crosstalk”, which frequently affect the eyes and are potential problems for 3D glasses of inferior quality. The curvature of the lenses is another substantial difference compared to conventional 3D glasses. Greater curvature around the eyes implies a wider field of vision but less optical precision. Similarly, a slight curvature can give rise to distorted vision. Oakley’s technology ensures optical clarity which allows the wearer to see sharp images and have a wider field of vision. The reduction of glare from reflected light completes the benefits offered by the curvature of Oakley 3D glasses.
Oakley 3D Gascan® boasts the exclusive Three-Point Fit system that guarantees perfect optical alignment of the lenses; this makes the glasses comfortable to wear because it eliminates the uneven pressure points typical of all other frames. Synonymous with strength and lightness, the Oakley model rests only on the sides of the face and the nose and does not have to be hooked behind the ears like traditional glasses with curved temple ends. The Oakley 3D lenses have been developed to give a first-class entertainment experience in movie theaters with passive polarization, a technology now used by the majority of theaters showing three-dimensional movies. Oakley is setting up collaborations also with the manufacturers of 3D home systems using the same technology. Viewers can then use the same glasses to enjoy 3D movies at the cinema as well as comfortably at their homes. Oakley 3D glasses are optimized for indoor cinema application and are not intended for outdoor use. Due to their transmission profile (light and UV), glasses using 3D polarization technology are not ideal for normal daily outdoor use and do not provide the same level of protection as sunglasses.