This is too cool. I heard about this today listening to Clark Howard. A few years ago, Dr. Joshua Silver, a physicist at Oxford University, invented a set of eyeglasses that can be adjusted in a wide range of powers. He has a company, Adaptive Eyecare, that is ramping up the manufacture of these glasses with two main target markets. One is the masses all around the world that cannot afford or have no access to quality eye care and the other is for the general population who do, but also need or could use a low-cost alternative to prescription lens. In the radio interview with Clark Howard, he said that his target price was between $10-$20 a pair with the higher price being for a reasonably attractive frame.

The lens is a thin film over a fluid-filled cavity. The focus is adjusted by adding or removing fluid from the lens to change its shape.

If they can actually be made to cost less that $50, I'd gladly buy and wear a pair of the current model even though they are nothing like the frameless pair I have on now. Even with insurance covering all of the cost of the exam and a chunk of the cost of the glasses, I paid about $250 for this pair. These were not the lowest-cost pair that I could have gotten because they are the ultra-light drill-mount frameless style, but they were nowhere near the most expensive available. The tech at the doctor's office was wearing a pair that he said cost around $1000 because of the higher-quality glass optics. I originally intended to have a second, low cost pair to wear when I would rather not risk the primary pair, but passed because the best price I could get was $100-$150. I'd gladly wear a low cost, ugly pair for tree climbing or fishing.

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