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User-Adjustable Glasses

Posted by timothy on from the would-like-to-test-these dept.

DrLudicrous writes "An Oxford University professor has come up with a way to manufacture adjustable glasses. The lens is made up of silicone oil, which when added or removed changes the curvature, and thus the strength of the lens. Apparently, these are inexpensive enough to distribute to the poor people's of rural Ghana, who do not have the opportunity to see a doctor, let alone afford conventional glasses."

2 of 43 comments (clear)

  1. Donate. by Trusty+Penfold · · Score: 5, Informative

    Don't forget to donate your old glasses to charity as well!

  2. Several Misgivings by Tsar · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I agree with these gentlemen:

    But not everyone embraces the idea. "They will prevent some people from coming to the hospital, where we might discover more serious problems," said Dr. Samuel Asiedu, general secretary of the Ghana Optometrists Association. Dr. Ababio-Danso, the ophthalmologist in Agogo, also notes that many Ghanaians are unfamiliar with glasses and do not know how to care for them or clean them.

    Also, I was dumbfounded by this quote:

    Nor is it clear how durable the glasses will be, or how long they will retain their prescriptive power, since the oils or the shape may deteriorate over time.

    Reading from the company's website: "The company was founded by Oxford physics professor Joshua Silver in 1996 and is based in Oxford and London. The company has developed prototype adaptive spectacles that can correct both far-sighted and near-sighted people, and these spectacles have been trialled in several countries in Africa and Asia."

    In six years of operation, and after testing in several countries, how would they still be unsure of their products' durability or focus-holding ability?