There comes a time in some adults’ lives when they have to grab a pair of bifocals to do some light bedtime reading. As a woman of a particular age, I know this all too well. It’s all due to aging and presbyopia, the gradual loss of the ability to focus on objects. ViXiON, a Japanese startup, has a dorky and somewhat futuristic answer with its ViXion01 glasses.
Dubbed the world’s first autofocus eyewear, ViXion01 measures object distance on the fly, ensuring optimal focus at all times, no matter whether you’re near or far-sighted. While they’re not the most stylish glasses I’ve ever seen, from what I saw, they’re incredibly effective.
The ViXion01 is available for $555 (sans shipping costs), but if you want to take the glasses for a test drive, you can also rent a pair for $30.11 a month. But before we get ahead of ourselves, let’s explore how these dorktastic specs actually work. The ViXion01 uses a pair of real-time adaptive variable lenses that adjust on the fly to make sure everything stays in clear focus. Think of it like the phoropter, that weird-looking machine with all the different lenses your eye doctor uses to nail down your prescription.
The ViXion01’s lenses change shape and thickness depending on the distance of whatever you’re looking at and your individual settings. This essentially eliminates the need for multiple glasses or bifocals. They can also help with eyestrain, a problem that affects people of all ages due to our screen-obsessed lifestyles.
Setting up the glasses was pretty straightforward. All I had to do was adjust the small rotary dial on the right hinge of the frames, and I was ready to go. The process is a little more entailed for a pair fresh out of the box, but not too much. Since I already wear contacts, I didn’t really expect to see much difference.
However, when I looked at some faraway signage, I was impressed that I clearly saw all of the large and medium lettering. The smaller text was more difficult, but the company isn’t claiming that this gives you super-vision; just improve upon what you already have. Also, ViXiON has made it very clear that this isn’t a medically cleared product and doesn’t advise using the glasses while driving or any other potentially rigorous tasks.
The ViXion01 is rated for 10 hours of battery life and some water resistance with an IPX3 rating. At 1.78 ounces, they are fairly lightweight, although I’d like to see how they feel after a few hours. I’m resisting the Geordi La Forge comparisons because the ViXion01 doesn’t look nearly as cool as those. However, I can’t deny the futuristic vibe they’ve got going on. It’s an interesting glimpse into the future of eyeglasses, and I’m all for it.
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