Variable focus glasses

[armb]

Optical elements that change their refractive index because of an applied electric field aren't particularly new. But actually building them into a wearable pair of glasses is.

Well, it still looks a bit vapourware-ish, but it's an intriguing possibility. And the potential for going badly and permanently wrong should be much less than the "fix underlying short sightedness with laser surgery, then use reading glasses" approach. (I don't need bifocals yet, but no doubt the time will come. I might try going back to contact lenses again first.)

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/7840034/Bye-bye-bifocals-hello-electronic-spectacles.html

(but see also http://eyeoverheard.wordpress.com/2009/08/27/pixeloptics-maybe-the-cupcakes-were-a-bad-idea-corporate-restructure-101/ )

Comments

[filklore-on-lj.livejournal.com]

Like ffutures, I get on with varifocals with no problems, having worn them for a couple of years, now.

I got a pair when I found I was beginning to have problems reading smallish print in artificial light - I was fine during the day, or with my reading lamp behind me, but buggered when reading packet instructions in the kitchen.

As I had trepidations about them, I also got a pair of normal glasses. Peversely, I had the "normal" lenses in a quite expensive and hard-wearing frame, with the varifocals in something a bit cheaper, as I thought I would only be wearing them around the house.

However, within a couple of weeks, I found I was wearing my varifocals all the time, including driving, without a problem.

As a result, my varifocal frames are now wearing out a bit, and I am about to go back to the optician to ask them to drop the same (or similar) varifocal prescription into my other frames.