No Fried Eyes: Kurtis USA Launches UV Awareness Campaign

No Fried Eyes™: Kurtis USA Launches UV Awareness Campaign

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No Fried Eyes™: Kurtis USA Launches UV Awareness Campaign
Surfer-owned company aims to educate athletes about an overlooked hazard of prolonged UV exposure

Hermosa Beach, CA, October 22, 2007 – Kurtis USA announced today the launch of its “No Fried Eyes” campaign, an awareness program designed to educate parents, children, teens and adults who surf about another serious and often ignored hazard of prolonged UV exposure: eye damage.

“Everyone is aware of the need for sunscreen on their skin but more and more research has shown the cumulative damaging effects of sunlight on the eyes. This UV exposure is especially damaging during water sports with the double assault of the sun coming from above and the reflection coming from below,” says Dr. John Hovanesian, a leading eye surgeon with Harvard Eye Associates and internationally renowned researcher and speaker on pterygiums and other eye diseases.

Kurtis USA is built on the foundation that no surfer should suffer from eye diseases such as pterygiums (callous-like growth on the eye that can impair vision), cataracts or macular degeneration because of prolonged exposure to the sun and wind.

“The pterygium surgery was painful, left a scar and my surgeon informed me that because they can grow back I should decide whether surfing was worth it,” comments Kurt Shipcott, a lifelong surfer and Kurtis USA founder and CEO. “That wasn’t an option, and after finding no eyewear that truly suited the action-oriented nature of surfing, I decided to develop my own.”

Kurtis surf goggles, launched this past summer, are an industry first for male and female surfers of all ages. The goggles are lightweight, float, extremely flexible, soft on impact, polarized, 100% UVA/UVB, and include a leash system. They are currently offered in two wrap-round styles, the Duke and the Kaiser Bowls, both named after surf breaks in Hawaii.

“For a long time we (eye doctors) have been trying to get surfers to wear sun protection but nobody has designed a pair of sunglasses that they can live with,” states Dr. Hovanesian.

“It is a great relief finally to see an option that offers the protection we want and the flexibility they want."

Dr. Gregory Char, a native of Hawaii, surfer and optometrist adds, “If you are outdoors a lot, especially on the water, you should have protective eyewear. It is a must. You are getting the reflective light in those conditions which is more intense.”

The “No Fried Eyes” campaign will be supported through its message on t-shirts, hats, stickers, the company website, Myspace pages as well as educational materials distributed in select ophthalmologist and optometrist offices.

PREVIOUS ASR RELEASE

KURTIS USA Launches Surf Goggles for Female Surfers
NO FRIED EYES™: Surfer-owned company becomes first to address eyewear needs for women

Hermosa Beach, CA, September 7, 2007 – KURTIS USA, a surfer-owned surf company, announced today the launch of its Madam X line of surf goggles made specifically for female surfers. It’s first model, the Kaiser Bowls, offers a larger frame lens in a wrap-around style.

The Kaiser Bowls – a name inspired by a surfing spot off of Oahu - are flexible, polarized, 100% UVA and UVB, and float. They come with a comfortable head strap and quick release neck attachment which functions similarly to a leash on a surfboard. This new design joins KURTIS’ flagship model, the Duke, which was launched earlier this summer.

“The number of female surfers continues to grow and it is important to recognize and respect them as serious athletes and talented surfers,” said Kurt Shipcott, Founder & CEO. “The Madam X design provides female surfers another tool to improve their vision of the waves (reduced glare) and ultimately increase both their wave count and performance.”

In addition to enhanced performance, the surf goggles provide an important health benefit that has been lacking in the sport. Shipcott, a lifelong surfer, saw a market need after developing pterygium (a callous-like growth that can impair vision) on his left eye after years surfing in the sun and wind. The brand’s tagline, No Fried Eyes, calls attention to the need for surfers to protect their eyes when in the water.

“Women are inherently more conscious about skin damage, wrinkles and eye protection,” commented Sue Schroeder, VP of Marketing & Sales. “Given this reality, it makes sense for us to provide female surfers a means to protect their eyes similar to what other eyewear options do for women and girls competing in beach volleyball, track & field, cycling, softball, skiing, skateboarding and snowboarding.”

The Kaiser Bowls will be unveiled at the ASR (Action Sports Retailer) Tradeshow, which will be held September 7 - 9 at the San Diego Convention Center. The media and core surf retailers will be invited for a special pre-launch product preview that weekend.

Starting September 10th, the patented Kaiser Bowls will be available online at kurtisusa.com for $199.00 which includes the surf goggles, head strap, quick release neck attachment, cleaning cloth, tip instructions and the convenient and well-ventilated KURTIS storage container. The company accepts both domestic and international orders.

ABOUT KURTIS USA
Kurtis USA is a surfer-owned company based in Hermosa Beach, CA that is dedicated to protecting surfers’ eyes from UV rays by providing high quality surf goggles to male and female surfers around the world. The goggles, which feature Kurtis USA’s patented WVO (wave viewing optics) technology, are designed and crafted by surfers for surfers. Kurtis USA manufacturers its eyewear in the USA and tests all new products in the waves of Hawaii, California and other high-profile destinations.

To learn more about Kurtis USA, please visit KurtisUSA.com, myspace.com/shakasue or contact Sue Schroeder, VP Marketing, directly at 714-292-9930.

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FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:
Sue Schroeder VP, Marketing
Kurtis USA
714-292-9930
shaka@kurtisusa.com
www.KurtisUSA.com
www.myspace.com/shakasue

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