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Kyoto company that develops autofocus glasses for people with presbyopia and other conditions

I’ve suffered from myopia most of my life and am now getting to that age where every time I need to read something on a smartphone I do that old man move of holding it not too close and not too far and then fine- adjust the distance by moving my head back a little so I can see it clearly, grimacing the whole time.

However, I am far from the only one with this problem, as everyone is said to develop some degree of presbyopia โ€“ farsightedness due to old age โ€“ as they get older. And studies show that, along with our increasingly smartphone-integrated lives, the number of cases of poor vision around the world is steadily increasing.

Fortunately, technology is not only the cause but also the solution to all of life’s problems, and for that we have Elcyo, a startup from Osaka University now based in Kyoto. Their goal is to create glasses that can automatically focus based on what you’re looking at.

Current eyewear solutions include bifocals, but these result in a smaller field of view that can put older wearers at risk of bumping into things in their blind spot and falling. Another solution is to have multiple glasses, but that is just a hassle.

However, the autofocus glasses scan the wearer’s eyes to determine what is being looked at and then adjust the lenses to correct the wearer’s focus accordingly. The lenses use liquid crystal that can be electrically adjusted and Elcyo’s special design is thin and light enough to be worn comfortably like regular glasses.

โ–ผ The diagram shows the surprising number of layers in those rather thin lenses.

Image: PR Times

Another cool potential benefit of these types of glasses is that they can also adapt to the person’s own vision over time. A common problem, one that I am guilty of myself, is that people continue to wear outdated prescription glasses, which can ultimately contribute to the deterioration of their vision. These glasses, on the other hand, always know when and where you are having trouble seeing and take care of it.

However, it is an ambitious project and is still in a relatively early stage. In the meantime, Elcyo will hold a nice exhibition at the Osaka Kansai Expo next year. At the Osaka Healthcare Pavilion, they will have set up a VR system that will simulate various eye conditions to help understand what patients are going through and learn about our own vision.

It will certainly be a real eye-opener for some people, as it is not uncommon for someone to go through part of their life without even realizing that they have vision problems. I only noticed that I was nearsighted when I failed the eye test for my driver’s license at the age of 16. I assumed everyone saw things that well up until that point.

Source: Elcyo, PR Times

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