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During a trip to a restaurant in his early 40s, Adrian Koppes had a profound experience with aging. For the first time, he was unable to read the menu at close range. To compensate, Koppes, stretched his arm as far away as possible to get a clear view of the menu.
Koppes realized he was experiencing presbyopia, or “ aging eyes.” It is a natural part of the aging process and affects most people starting at about age 40. An estimated 90 million baby boomers in America either have presbyopia or will develop the condition in the next 10 years, according to a report by Refractec Inc..
The eye’s ability to focus is reduced because the lenses inside one’s eyes gradually become inflexible, causing difficulty focusing on nearby and intermediate objects.
Koppes had a personal interest in solving this problem. He teamed up with his inventor buddy Dr. Stephen Kurtin, who had the technical expertise to do something about it, and in 2006 they formed a company to bring their product to market naming their company TruFocals, but later, changed the company name to SuperFocus.
"It was not an easy sell because there is nothing in the market that is even similar. These eyeglasses allow the user to self-adjust the focus like a camera lens. Most people do not initially recognize or understand the difference between multifocal eyeglasses and the SuperFocus glasses. Once the concept is understood, most people recognize the technology is much more versatile than conventional multifocal glasses." said Koppes.
"The most common way to correct presbyopia involves bifocals or progressive lenses. With bi-focal lenses, you have to look through a specific portion of the lens to see clearly at a specific distance. So, you have to point and tilt your head to line up the object you want to look at with the appropriate portion of the lens.
"With progressives, the same is true, only there is a more gradual continuum of focal points. As a result only a relatively small portion of the total lens area is actually useful and the field of view is very limited — especially for intermediate and close distances. Other options involved various types of surgical procedures.
Some of the people lining up for the new technology include tennis and golf pros, police, and military, hunting and gun aficionados. "With the SuperFocus lenses, there are no zones and the user has use of entire lens and does not need to tilt or position the head or adjust eye position."
New Mexico's Sam Wortham, who won The Sporting Clays National Championship, said, “… SuperFocus glasses were key in my shooting performance. In competition, there are multicolored clays, thrown into areas like bushes and trees to simulate game bird movements. The glasses kept the barrel awareness crisp, allowing me to see every detail of the target; even in adverse lighting conditions...enhanced depth and light perception is a very positive advantage. The glasses are ideal for me because I like to multi-task during the day and no other glasses allow me to change focus as rapidly and conveniently. I believe in six to eight years everyone will be using these glasses.”
The glasses function well in heat and cold and have been tested in Phoenix, during the extreme heat of summer, and on Rocky Mountain ski slopes, with no adverse effects.
According to Koppes, “A person’s eyesight can change as the day progresses. There are lots of factors involved, but users of the eyeglasses can easily adjust their vision accordingly, and enjoy perfect vision all day.”
One unexpected benefit was for diabetics. Low/high blood sugar levels can affect the vision of diabetics. These glasses allow diabetics to adjust their vision as needed. However, the dark side is that poor vision is a warning sign of low/high blood sugar.
The SuperFocus lenses allow for a clear, adjusted image, customized to your personal prescription that is sharp and defined with a continuum of focal points. To get the same effect, you would need dozens of readers in different strengths and corrections for distance.
“The eyeglasses are a watershed in optical engineering,” Koppes said.
Koppes’ opinion is shared by many people in the scientific community.
The glasses are ideal for me because I like to multi-task during the day and no other glasses allow me to change focus as rapidly and conveniently. I believe in six to eight years everyone will be using these glasses.
–Sam Wortham
NASA’s C. Robert Gibson, a senior optometrist at NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston, conducted a certification process. He needed to ensure SuperFocus eyewear were a good option when compared to other eyeglasses and that they would not pose a hazard in space.Eventually, the glasses were certified as an essential piece of personal gear. Weightlessness in space can cause some unusual situations and microgravity has a negative impact on the vision of astronauts. The glasses are certified for use on International Space Station.
The glasses are relatively new in the marketplace. Only a handful of optometrists offer them. Most are not aware of them. The company offers the eyeglasses over the Internet. They will send a fitting certificate allowing users to go to any optometrist they choose to get them properly fitted.
Some users prefer a brick and mortar optical company. Users can personally take their prescription in, or fax their prescription to the company, and they will contact the optometrist for you. The glasses are prescription eyewear, but users do not need a special prescription. Moreover, they are usually covered under vision insurance plans. Without insurance, expect to pay roughly $700- $900.
How They Work
The technology works using the “Wrigley effect,” Each "lens" is actually a set of two lenses, one flexible and one firm. The flexible lens (near the eye) has a transparent distensible membrane attached to a clear rigid surface. The pocket between them holds a small quantity of crystal clear fluid. As one moves the slider on the bridge, it pushes the fluid and alters the shape of the flexible lens. Changing the shape changes the correction. Adjusting to the glasses comes naturally after about one week of use.
The process mimics what happens naturally as we change focal points with youthful eyes. The glasses are completely manual. The double lenses attach to each other with a series of tiny magnets embedded in the outer edges of the front lenses. The user can remove the front lens for cleaning as needed.
The lenses are designed to separate on impact if the eyeglasses are dropped. This lessens the chance of damage. Also, there are magnetic click-on anti-glare lenses for computer users and several colors of sunglass lenses.
In 2009, P opular Science, the magazine awarded the glasses the What’s New Award and later in 2010 the Wall Street Journal gave them the prestigious Innovations Silver Award.
SuperFocus has a blog where people can read comments from users and stories.
