One Man's Invention is Giving the Poor Better Vision—Literally!

by Aimee Herd : Feb 9, 2009 : Laurie Goering - Chicago Tribune

"…people put them on, they look at a chart on the wall, you see them dialing and suddenly their smirk turns to a smile. They say, 'Wow! I can see!' It's mind-boggling."

(United Kingdom)—Oxford University atomic physicist, Joshua Silver had been "tinkering" with an optics experiment he'd done using a water-filled lens. He noticed the power of the lens changed according to the amount of water he added or removed.

"I was struck by the quality of the vision I could get with a device I could make for pennies and I could adjust myself," explained Silver in the Chicago Tribune report. "My immediate thought was, 'If I can correct my own vision so easily, could other people?'"

Silver's answer was a resounding "yes," as his extremely inexpensive water-filled eyeglasses have now reportedly been in use in 15 African and East European nations. (Photo: US Marine Corps)

They may not be much to look at, but looking through them can make all the difference in the world for people in countries where opticians are scarce, and prescription glasses much too expensive.

The article states that the glasses, with a dark frame, house "thick, Coke-bottle lenses… protected between two hard polycarbonate covers." Syringes connected to dials on either side of the frames, are turned by the wearer; adding to or subtracting the water in the lenses until the prescription is perfect.

In a humanitarian effort, Maj. Kevin White of the US Marine Corps was able to persuade the Dept. of Defense to purchase and distribute 20,000 pairs of the water-glasses in Angola, Georgia and other nations.

In the article, White notes that people's reactions to the eyewear have been "universal." He said they "put them on, they look at a chart on the wall, you see them dialing and suddenly their smirk turns to a smile. They say, 'Wow! I can see!' It's mind-boggling."

Read the entire report at the link provided.

   

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Aimee Herd, Editor

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