Scientists Develop Switchable Focus Eyeglass Lenses

Nasses Peyghambarian, UA professor of optical sciences, materials science and engineering, with prototype switchable focus eyeglasses. Industry will commercialize more fashionable specs.

Optical scientists have developed eyeglass lenses that switch focus in a blink of an eye.

Optical scientists at The University of Arizona have developed new switchable, flat, liquid crystal diffractive lenses that can adaptively change their focusing power. That's great news for those old enough to wear bifocals.

And it's great news for anyone with imperfect vision, for it opens the way for next-generation "smart" eyeglasses -- glasses with built-in automatic focus.

In the foreseeable future, for example, you won't change prescription eyeglasses -- your eye doctor will just tweak a new prescription into the specs you already own.

You could even program your glasses for better than 20-20 vision.