
Tunable eyeglass lenses to replace bifocals - candiodari
https://www.wsj.com/articles/could-this-pair-of-eyeglasses-mean-the-end-of-bifocals-1486057654
======
jaclaz
Just in case:

[https://phys.org/news/2017-01-smart-glasses-automatically-
fo...](https://phys.org/news/2017-01-smart-glasses-automatically-focus-
wearer.html)

~~~
maxerickson
Original:

[http://www.ece.utah.edu/2017/01/26/i-can-see-clearly-
now/](http://www.ece.utah.edu/2017/01/26/i-can-see-clearly-now/)

Phys.org often just republishes university press releases.

~~~
jaclaz
Yep, good catch, though the "I CAN SEE CLEARLY NOW" title _seems_ clickbait
(even if it is the original, University one)!

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tyingq
A different approach...not automatic, but the form factor is much nicer:
[https://www.eyejusters.com/technology/](https://www.eyejusters.com/technology/)

~~~
saidajigumi
It's worth noting that this is a research prototype, and that the team is
anticipating rapid progress towards a better form factor. From the utah.edu
link posted by maxerickson above:

 _Mastrangelo said a lighter, more attractive pair could hit the marketplace
in as early as three years and that a startup company, Sharpeyes LLC, has been
created to commercialize the glasses._

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bagrow
Tunable glasses are great for developing countries as well, where eye doctors
are scarce, even when the focus is not automatic [1].

These glasses still require perfectly circular lenses, right? That's a bigger
hindrance than slimming down the clunky prototype.

[1] [https://www.wired.com/2010/07/fluid-filled-adjustable-eye-
gl...](https://www.wired.com/2010/07/fluid-filled-adjustable-eye-glasses/)

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Groxx
Beyond a built-in motor, rangefinder, and extremely minor circuitry, are these
actually different from a 2008 version? [http://cvdw.org/](http://cvdw.org/)
Seems like you could use off-the-shelf stuff and still fit it into that
enormous frame.

edit: ah, maybe this? (from: [http://www.ece.utah.edu/2017/01/26/i-can-see-
clearly-now/](http://www.ece.utah.edu/2017/01/26/i-can-see-clearly-now/) ,
thanks!
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13572830](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13572830))

> _Hasan says the lenses can change focus from one object to another in 14
> milliseconds_

Pretty speedy, especially if that's the total time to focus and settle. Might
miniaturize enough to be a normal-ish set of glasses, given time.

~~~
dorfsmay
So these are autofocus for you eyes (there's not much meat in the article)?

~~~
Groxx
Basically. There's a rangefinder in the frame, whatever you point your head at
shifts the lens focus for your prescription, which means it can handle
bi/tri/infinite-focal with no problem. A more 'real' example would probably
use eye tracking, but the demo is much more about the lens adjustment than
auto-tracking (seems tacked on to make it more interesting / a more complete
demo).

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Dylan16807
> Shift your gaze from the wall menu of your favorite fast-food joint down to
> the smartphone in your hand, and these glasses can make the adjustment in 14
> milliseconds.

That's how it should work, not how it actually works. You have to move your
head to focus, same as with bifocals. It might even be harder to use to focus
on a small object like a phone.

~~~
throwanem
> You have to move your head to focus, same as with bifocals.

In the given example, I'm going to be holding my phone within the field of the
reading lenses, and looking over them at the menu. No head movement is
required.

~~~
maxerickson
Based on _Their clunky prototype—sleeker versions are in the works—is based on
an infrared distance meter built into the bridge of the frames._ I think head
movement is required.

If it used pupil tracking to determine where the wearer was looking it
wouldn't required head tracking, but it sounds like the focus is set based on
what is in front of the distance sensor.

~~~
throwanem
That's the point I'm making. The clever adjustable lenses require head
movement. My boring old bifocals do not.

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dorfsmay
I had to watch the video twice, here's the important piece of text:

"the curvature of each lens changes,"

"responding to input from an infrared distance meter build into the bridge of
the frames"

So the glasses have to know your personal prescription. I know very little
about optic, but one thing I've been wondering for a long time is why can't
there be a camera pointed to your eyes that adjust the lens until the image on
your eye is in focus?

~~~
psi-squared
I had an eye test recently (in the UK, if it's relevant), and they had a
device which seemed to do that. You sit down, look into the device and see a
blurry image, which sort of "snaps" into focus as it works out the shape of
your eyes.

That device was a fairly big thing linked to a desktop, though - no idea if it
could be miniaturised or not. In addition, they followed it up with more
"traditional" tests, which in my case disagreed with the results from that
device. So maybe it's not quite there yet?

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janwillemb
I increasingly find these articles not worth the time, because the promise is
never fulfilled. Therefore I prefer the original title: _Could This Pair of
Eyeglasses Mean the End of Bifocals?_ , which contains one of the words could,
might, may. My automatic internal parser will read this as _This Pair of
Eyeglasses Will Most Likely Not Mean the End of Bifocals_.

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ScottBurson
Presbyopia is certainly a major drag, and it would be great to have a fix for
it.

The ultimate fix would be to replace the lens in the eye with one that can
focus. There are people working on that (e.g. [0]).

[0] [http://ocumetics.com/](http://ocumetics.com/)

~~~
bitwize
Thhis is already possible, but it's a fairly expensive and delicate procedure,
so doctors only do it when you have a severely debilitating condition of the
lens, e.g., cataracts.

Still, old folks who undergo lens-replacement cataract surgery often end up
with fantastically restored vision -- beyond even what the lack of cataracts
would give them.

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DonHopkins
I think they look quite stylish, in a nerdy sort of way! Some day young
hipsters with good eyesight will be wearing huge klunky glasses like that but
without any lenses, just to look cool. They could even include big batteries
and a USB phone charger!

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mrfusion
Would this be useful for VR?

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epmaybe
How so? To "automatically" focus on different things? Maybe with some eye
tracking and foveal rendering? Seems like it'd be a more immersive experience.

~~~
Groxx
Only thing I can think of is to adjust for people who can't see clearly at VR
focal lengths (~1-2 meters from what I can find, which is a sweet spot for
many, but not all). In that case, space around the lens exterior doesn't
matter much, it could be a great fit.

Eye tracking and foveal rendering: I _really_ hope we get that, and soon. It'd
look more natural, and seems like it could substantially reduce rendering
costs.

~~~
epmaybe
Oculus bought the eye tribe for this purpose, I believe.

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lutusp
No matter what glasses I wear, I still can't get past the WSJ paywall. It
would be a public service for people to stop submitting links to this site.

~~~
ihuman
What's wrong with a paywall? Websites don't have to give you their content for
free.

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DanBC
Paywalls with workarounds are ok.

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10178989](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=10178989)

The WSJ workarounds have stopped working for many people.

For people who don't know what the workaround is: open the [web] link (under
the HN submission title) in an incognito window; open the first search result.

~~~
mikeash
This workaround has stopped working, at least for many (including me).

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DanBC
You may want to re-read my post.

~~~
mikeash
Apologies, I thought that was referring to some other workaround.

