"Professor pioneers DIY adjustable glasses that do not need an optician"
The Guardian (UK) (December 22, 2008)
"It was a chance conversation on March 23 1985 ("in the afternoon, as I recall") that first started Josh Silver on his quest to make the world's poor see. A professor of physics at Oxford University, Silver was idly discussing optical lenses with a colleague, wondering whether they might be adjusted without the need for expensive specialist equipment, when...."
(Michael Lewis, via The Guardian, used without permission)
The British inventor wants "to offer glasses to a billion of the world's poorest people by 2020." So far, he's seen to it that 30,000 of his new-tech glasses got distributed in 15 countries: but that's just a start.
These glasses use a liquid lens, held between two transparent, flexible, surfaces. The wearer adjusts the focus.
Looks like the professor's project - Centre for Vision in the Developing World - is getting funding from the World Bank - which may be easier than getting a lot of grass-roots support.
I'd give the CVDW's URL, but if they've got a website, I couldn't find it.
Still, those liquid-lens spectacles look like a very good idea.
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