electronic bifocals

BusinessWeek

That unsatisfying solution inspired Ronald Blum, founder and chief executive of PixelOptics in Roanoke, Va., to develop the world's first commercially available electronic eyeglasses. The frames look ordinary, but the arms hide a rechargeable battery, a microchip, and an accelerometer. When a wearer tilts his head down to view an object up close, the accelerometer detects the motion. The microchip sends an electronic signal to the lenses, part of which contains a substance similar to that used in liquid-crystal displays. The current from the battery alters how the liquid crystals refract light, changing the prescription of the lens. Because the wearer doesn't constantly deal with two prescriptions at once, PixelOptics lenses do away with the side effects, says Blum.

I am a wearer of progressive lenses and think that this is a terrific idea. My current glasses were in the neighbourhood of $800 so the pricepoint doesn't have to fall too much to put them on my list for the next pair.