Running Head: SELF ADJUSTING GLASSES

Self Adjusting Glasses Laura Hydrick Chapin High School

SELF ADJUSTING GLASSES Introduction

What I would like to do for my project proposal is to create glasses made of a thin pliable lens material so that between eye checkups you can slightly alter your eye prescription to fit your needs, if your prescription changes. Like binoculars can be adjusted to focus on things further away and closer up, I believe that these glasses would do something similar. Because eyeglass lens prescriptions are based some on the curve of the lenses, I believe that with the proper material you would be able to create such an item. This is an extremely practical need and is something that people have needed for ages. This would be a great thing to create so that people who are extremely busy or cant afford so many trips to the eye doctor would be able to tweak their prescription to fit their needs.

Background

The background for this project is learning not only what a base curve is, but how glasses work in general. When someone needs an adjustment to their eyes in the form of a corrective lens, what that lens does is adjusts their focal point, therefore making everything in focus and no longer blurry, so that the person can regain vision that is clear. A base curve is the measurement of the front side of a lens; a lens can be double convex or double concave, which means that the curve of the front of the lens is the same measurement as the back of the lens. Lenses can also be either biconcave or biconvex, which means the measurement of the lens front is different from

SELF ADJUSTING GLASSES the measurement of the lens back. Scientists have proven that the fit of contact lenses as well as astigmatisms and bifocals can be adjusted properly using different curves, so by creating these glasses that can adjust ever so slightly, someone could slightly adjust their prescription and save time and money to fit their needs. Obviously not all people would be able to use one pair of glasses for their lifetime, but they could at least save some trips to the eye doctor when their prescription changes slightly. Also, I had to research the most pliable metal for the frames as well as the lens type. I found that for the frames of the glasses they would have to be made of

titanium because it is pliable but extremely durable and perfect for glasses frames. For the lenses, they would be made of a pliable plastic that would be prescription to the specific person who ordered them. The best lenses to use are made of plastic that are pliable but still durable, and easy to manipulate.

Proposed Work

My proposal is to create a pair of glasses that someone could adjust themselves for when they needed to have a slight adjustment other than having to go to the eye doctor every time their eye prescription changed. Glasses nowadays are made from usually titanium frames and plastic lenses. They replaced the glass lenses with plastic ones because they last longer, are more pliable, and less expensive. They also make a very pliable form of lens made from plastic called high index lenses. These are so that even people with the worst of vision can still use eyeglass lenses that are thin instead of the coke bottle lenses of the past. This proposal is extremely practical and needed for those people who have busy schedules and dont always have to time to

SELF ADJUSTING GLASSES make an appointment for the eye doctor. By making these glasses people will be able to aid themselves and be able to save time and money for their eye care and needs. Because some bifocals are biconvex lenses, I think that we might even be able to get rid of bifocals by simply

adjust thing the curve of your glasses to see up close as well as far away. All of this can be made possible by making the glasses frames out of titanium, which is an extremely light, durable, and pliable metal that is inexpensive to produce. This is the best metal for the frames of the glasses because the frames will be able to bend with the lenses but still hold their shape and wont break. The actual lenses will have to be made of plastic because glass is not pliable enough and will break much easier than a plastic lens, which in most cases is already used in glasses now a days. The lenses if they need to be extreme prescriptions you can use a high index lens for people. They are made out of the same hard plastic and are able to be thin while still having the ability to handle extreme prescriptions so that the people dont end up with extremely thick coke bottle lenses. To be able to make them bend, you would have a dial on the side connected to the frames that would make the frames tighter and looser, therefore causing the lenses to become more curved or less curved. The frames would have to go at least halfway down the lenses so that the dial would actually be affective in making the glasses work. To test them I could get a sample group to see how well they worked.

This project is extremely cool but also something that is needed by humans to save time and money. This is a potentially life changing invention and I think it would be so cool to be able to produce such a product, especially knowing that this innovation could potentially really help people be more productive. I think that this project is completely doable because it isnt too

SELF ADJUSTING GLASSES expensive and a relatively simple project to be able to do. Also it could be done locally by partnering with a local eyeglass producer.

Project Timeline

Item Needed Company Creating Item Time needed to create item

Titanium frames with dial Lenscrafters About 4 hours 2/10/13

Plastic Lenses Lenscrafters About 2 hours 2/10/13

Date item could be completed if started on 2/10/13 *Lenscrafters have a same day guarantee

Budget

To make glasses frames it usually costs somewhere between 3-14 dollars to make and are usually sold for 100 or 200 depending on design, with the dial included they would cost about 20 to

SELF ADJUSTING GLASSES make a pair and be sold for 250. Overall they would not be that expensive to make and could be sold for a good profit. The frames themselves would be cheap, about 10 dollars a pair and the lenses would cost differently according to the prescription, but usually they run about 50 dollars making this entire project completely doable.

SELF ADJUSTING GLASSES References Broten, B. (n.d.). HowStuffWorks "How Corrective Lenses Work". HowStuffWorks "Science". Retrieved February 23, 2013, from http://science.howstuffworks.com/innovation/everyday-innovations/lens.htm

DiSanto, M. R. (n.d.). Base Curve Basics. Continuing Education Course. Retrieved February 13, 2013, from www.nao.org/cec/Online%20CECs/CEC%20pdfs/Basic%20Curves%20Basics%20FIN AL%20online.pdf Eyeglasses - Eye M.D.-approved information from EyeSmart. (n.d.). Get EyeSmart - Eye Health Information for the Public from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Retrieved February 23, 2013, from http://www.geteyesmart.org/eyesmart/glasses-contactslasik/glasses.cfm Glasses - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved February 23, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glasses Titanium - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. (n.d.). Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Retrieved February 23, 2013, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Titanium