Over the Thanksgiving break, I was at Oakley HQ in Foothill Ranch, California and got a personal factory tour. I saw some pretty cool things which I’m excited to share with you.

I’ve always liked Oakley eyewear and had thought of them as a high-quality brand that had cool aesthetics. After hearing from Justin at Oakley explain how they test and develop their lenses, I now have a greater appreciation for why Oakley glasses are some of the best on the market.

The video below is part one of two. Here’s the tl;dw summary:

– Oakley uses laser tests to ensure that when focusing on a object that each lens will bring your eye focus to a single point instead of splitting into two points, thereby causing distortion. While our eyes can handle a certain amount of distortion, prolonged use of low quality eyewear can cause eye fatigue and potentially accelerate your need for corrective lenses.

– Oakley lenses are developed so that no matter how they sit on your face and where your pupil looks through the lens, the focus will be undistorted. This was a really impressive part of the test which is shown in the video.

– Lens thickness variations and the combination of materials can cause variations in vision quality. Oakley tests multiple designs until the fidelity meets their high expectations.

Here’s the video explaining this. I’ll put up a part two video showing the stress tests where they shoot shrapnel and drop a huge chunk of metal on their lenses.