A few of you may have heard
me say this before, I sit in the front of the classroom because I have a hard
time seeing. Vision is a big part of learning. I know this quite well because my vision
started to go bad during grade school.
Being fearful of being teased as a “four-eyes,” I kept it from my
teacher and frantically wrote all my notes based on auditory cues (probably
plays into why I am such a good note-taker today). Nonetheless, I greatly value my ability to
see during lecture and it has greatly enhanced my learning capabilities.
Professor Joshua
Silver, founder and director of the Center for Vision in the Developing World,
also seconds this idea. As a physicist
at the University of Oxford, he created the first ever self-adjustable
liquid-filled eyeglasses. Why is there a
need for this contraption? The
self-adjustable eyeglasses provides clear vision within minutes without the
need of a practitioner; a must in developing world countries.
How
does it work? The fluid-filled lens
allows wearers to correct refractive error in the eyes be adjusting the amount
of fluid within the lens. Within
minutes, clear vision can be achieved.
Currently, the cost of production and delivery of one pair of glasses is
$15, which is definitely a small fraction of the cost of prescription lenses. Moreover, the Child Vision project was
created in aims to distribute around 50,000 pairs of glasses to children in
developing countries. Presently, 4,000
pairs have been distributed. To support
the cause please visit http://www.vdwoxford.org/childvision/#getinvolved.
Being someone who also has issues with seeing and wears glasses, this is super interesting. Glasses are very expensive, so having an option like this for those who can't afford them is great. Also the fact that they are adjustable means that they most likely don't have to replaced every so often if your vision changes. I am curious how sturdy they are though with all of the adjustment tools, especially if they are being used for children which may not be as careful with them. However, I wonder if this technology could be adopted to standard glasses too. Considering I hate going to the optometrist, going less often to change my prescription sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing! Although these aren't the trendiest glasses I have ever seen the fact that for only $15 someone can be able to see without visiting an optometrist is amazing. I wonder what liquid is used in these glasses to fill the lenses (I looked and couldn’t find it) because if it were water I would worry about it evaporating or fogging up depending on the weather. I am also curious how often these need to be adjusted if the liquid levels changes. Regardless it is definitely a step in the right direction and an amazing cost effective solution.
ReplyDeleteThis is such a cool invention! I noticed that my eyes began changing during college when I began studying for countless hours leaning into my books. That price is slightly unbelievable but if it does the trick and will help me see better why not?! I am curious about the lifespan of these glasses. If you have to replace them several times per year, you might be better off with prescription glasses. But I can see where these glasses could potentially be very handy. Those in underrepresented communities or countries without proper care could use these as a cheap alternative and quick fix. I'm sure the physics behind these glasses are very complex and something beyond my understanding. I'm curious if the amount of water in the lens adjusts the shape of the lens or if its really just the amount of water doing the trick.
ReplyDeleteI think these are a great idea for developing countries! I have needed glasses since I was 8 years old, and now without them I am legally blind (can't drive without my glasses/contacts). In my experience in the eye industry, I've found that there can be consequences of allowing individuals to self-correct their vision, however, most of the time this included simply some eye strain, which is nothing more than a nuisance most of the time and can be easily corrected. So therefore, I think they need to provide this to individuals in developing countries with maybe a little bit of information on refraction. Again, knowing how debilitating it can be to not have glasses when you need them, I think any solution for developing countries will greatly improve the lives of many.
ReplyDelete