emPower!
INTRODUCING THE WORLD’S FIRST ELECTRONIC EYEGLASSES
Exciting news for those who wear prescription glasses with bifocal or progressive lenses. Dr. Robert C. Bauman & Associates is proud to be among the first optometry practices in the United States to offer our patients the benefits of emPower, the world's first electronic focusing prescription eyewear. Designed for bifocal wearers who require special lenses to see both near and far, emPower electronically changes lens focus with a simple tilt of the head. It combines fashionable eyeglass frames with a microchip; composite lenses with a thin transparent LCD-like layer; miniature rechargeable batteries; and a micro-machine accelerometer to detect a wide range of immediate vision requirements.
HOW DO THEY WORK?
EmPower is designed for those patients with presbyopia, the diminished ability to focus on close objects, that affects many starting around the age of 40. Conventional bifocal lenses that magnify fine print may also distort vision when a wearer looks down. This can impair the view when descending a staircase or swinging at a golf ball. emPower eyeglasses provide a wider field of view, less distortion and alleviate common side effects associated with progressive and bifocal lenses currently used to address presbyopia. The transparent liquid crystal layer in each lens is able to electronically activate the reading portion or distance view as the wearer needs it. Turning the reading portion on or off happens virtually and instantaneously with the tilt of the head. There are no visible moving parts or noises. By electronically turning reading power on an off emPower will dramatically reduce vision compromises and improve the experience of prescription eyeglass wearers.
emPower eyeglasses look and feel like designer eye wear. The microchip, micro-accelerometer, and miniature batteries are hidden inside the temples of specially designed eyeglass frames. Wearers can operate the glasses in three different modes: manual on, automatic, and manual off. They are shock resistant, waterproof and contain a rechargeable battery. One charge of the battery allows for two to three days of continuous operation. emPower
A REVOLUTIONARY ALTERNATIVE
While we have always helped our patients successfully adapt to bifocals and progressive lenses, emPower eyeglasses are designed to make this transition quickly and more easily. We look forward to this quantum leap in optical technology that will address the needs of the huge segment of our patients affected by presbyopia.
emPower Facts
emPower technology is found in many of today’s high-end consumer electronics, including composite lenses with a thin transparent LCD layer, microchips, accelerometers and rechargeable batteries.
When a wearer tilts his/her head down to view an object up close, the accelerometer detects the motion. The microchip sends an electronic signal to the lenses, part of which contains a substance similar to that used in liquid-crystal displays. The current from the battery alters how the liquid crystals refract light, changing the prescription of the lens.
emPower! lenses have two modes of operation: automatic and manual. In automatic mode, the switch between full or partial reading prescription depends on where the wearer looks. The wearer looks down and the full reading prescription turns on; the wearer looks straight ahead and the lens returns to the partial reading prescription – focusing in the blink of an eye.
In manual mode, the person decides when to adjust the glasses to a reading prescription. Control of the manual mode is performed on the right temple of the eyeglasses and simply requires a tap of the finger.
Just like your cell phone, emPower! eyewear will need to be charged every few days. Battery life will depend on the amount of usage of the electronic add zone. Typically, a single charge should last between 2 and 3 days. To charge, simply place the eyewear in the special charging tray (think PDA charging mat); leave it over night and it will be fully charged the next day.
Due to its augmented electronic region, emPower! lenses provide a larger reading area, when needed. The electronic region is larger than the sweet spot of a normal progressive lens.
Unlike with traditional progressive lenses, emPower! has virtually no peripheral “swim” or distortion in the periphery of the lens.
In a series of independent clinical tests conducted in June of 2010, emPower! eyeglasses were perceived by wearers to be superior in seven out of eight vision performance categories when compared to a leading progressive lens design. emPower! performed equally in the remaining one category.
