Cheaper, Adjustable Glasses for the Impoverished

Green Tech of the Week: Adspecs

"World Health Organization research indicates that over 1.3 billion people would see an improvement if they had access to glasses, but currently lack access to them. Our estimates indicate that this could be even higher."

"Invented by Professor Josh Silver, the Adspecs are the first (and currently only) available self-adjustable glasses that allow the user to tune their glasses to their eyes. To change the power of the lens, the user turns the wheels on the syringes on the arms to pump more or less silicone oil into the lenses (which are simply two flexible membranes, protected by a hard plastic layer), changing their shape. When done, the user simply tightens the screws on each side of the frame and cuts off the syringes and tubing -transforming the Adspecs into a normal pair of glasses in a few minutes!"

Adspecs from Joel

"So what causes this? Although in many parts of the developing world physical access to the glasses is expensive and rare, this is a solvable problem. Glasses can be made inexpensively and plentifully, and are already being supplied like this worldwide."

"The major problem to overcome is a lack of personnel to fit them. Highly trained optometrists are very rare in many parts of the developing world, and often leave to work in countries where their skills will bring them better pay."

"So far, over 30,000 Adspecs have been deployed worldwide through various programmes, most notably the US Humanitarian and Civic Assistance Program of the US Military's EUCOM. Others have been deployed through research studies, other humanitarian organisations and 10,000 through the adult education programme of the Ghanaian government, NFED."


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Sources:

[Gizmodo] [Centre for Vision in the Developing World]