According to the World Health Organization, 670 million people go about their daily lives with uncorrected vision because they can’t get the glasses they need. Used eyeglasses are commonly donated to developing countries, but with an estimated one optometrist for every 1,000,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa, the developing nations largely lack the trained personnel to prescribe the correct glasses.
Eyejusters, a UK-based company, is hoping to bring clear sight to some of these people with company’s self-adjusting glasses. Featuring the SlideLens technology, each lens in a pair of Eyejusters actually contains two lenses. Turning a dial on one of the temple arms causes the lenses to slide across each other, changing the overall spherical surface and thus changing the prescription. It works for those with myopia or presbyopia, and the glasses can be adjusted by the users themselves or anyone with very basic training.
You can buy your own pair of Eyejusters for only $40, but if you’re feeling philanthropic, you can help Eyejusters fulfill their vision of making their glasses available to developing nations. Much of their site is dedicated to providing resources for helping to distribute them, and the company is currently taking pre-orders for distribution kits that include the glasses, vision charts, and training materials.
Take a look at a video about Eyejusters from Reuters:
More info: Eyejusters – a new way to help the world see…
(hat tip: Gizmodo)