Custom Glasses
You probably think of eyeglasses as personalized, but in fact current ophthalmic methods only correct for the most common vision problems-leaving the remaining 20 percent uncorrected and many glasses wearers seeing stars, halos, or other apparitions. A San Diego, CA-based startup, Ophthonix, is developing a system-which could be on the market by year’s end-for making glasses that are truly tailored to a person’s unique vision flaws. The process begins with a device that measures all of each eye’s aberrations, such as irregularities in the shape or density of the lens or cornea. Conventional diagnosis, in contrast, relies on a patient’s subjective choices from among a series of corrective lenses. The Ophthonix device shines light into the eye and measures changes in the wave properties of the light reflected back by the retina; from these changes, it can calculate the measurements of any existing irregularities. The system then uses those measurements to create a digital prescription that it forwards electronically to Ophthonix. At the company, the prescription guides a laser as it scans a lens made up of a layer of conventional material fused to a layer of a novel polymer developed by Ophthonix. The laser light changes the molecular structure of Ophthonix’s polymer, altering its refractive properties from one point to the next. In tests on patients, even those with 20/20 vision could see more clearly with the new glasses.
Keep Reading
Most Popular
Large language models can do jaw-dropping things. But nobody knows exactly why.
And that's a problem. Figuring it out is one of the biggest scientific puzzles of our time and a crucial step towards controlling more powerful future models.
How scientists traced a mysterious covid case back to six toilets
When wastewater surveillance turns into a hunt for a single infected individual, the ethics get tricky.
The problem with plug-in hybrids? Their drivers.
Plug-in hybrids are often sold as a transition to EVs, but new data from Europe shows we’re still underestimating the emissions they produce.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.