Bifocal and varifocal lenses are familiar terms for many, both designed to assist vision at near and far distances. Finnish company IXI, however, is proposing a new solution: the world’s first “auto-focus glasses”, which automatically adjust their optical power depending on where the wearer is looking.
Traditional solutions require users to look through specific parts of a lens to see clearly at different distances. Bifocal lenses can also be expensive, while the alternative — constantly swapping frames — is inconvenient and often means carrying two pairs of glasses.
The Finnish start-up IXI has developed an otherwise ordinary-looking pair of glasses with a significant technological upgrade. The lenses contain liquid crystals, allowing their vision-correcting properties to change in real time. In effect, the lenses automatically focus on whatever the wearer is viewing.
Bifocal lenses have existed for centuries. Benjamin Franklin patented bifocals in 1784, and there have been relatively few major advances since. Varifocal lenses, which gained popularity in the 1960s, offered a refinement by creating a smoother transition between different areas of magnification.
Bifocals are divided into two distinct regions for near and distance vision, requiring wearers to consciously direct their gaze through the appropriate section. Varifocals work in a similar way but with more gradual transitions. Auto-focus lenses, by contrast, promise to adjust dynamically across part or all of the lens without the wearer having to think about it.
By using a dynamic lens system, IXI removes the need for fixed magnification zones. “Modern varifocals have this narrow viewing channel because they’re essentially combining three different lenses,” said IXI chief executive Niko Eiden in an interview with CNN. “There is far sight, intermediate and short distance, and you can’t seamlessly blend these lenses. That creates distortion, makes the sides of the lenses largely unusable, and forces users to manage where they are looking.”
The small battery built into IXI’s autofocus frames is expected to last up to two days. Charging is handled via a magnetic port discreetly hidden in the temple.
IXI plans to launch the glasses in Europe first, following regulatory approval, before seeking FDA clearance for a US release. Other global markets are expected to follow.