Matters To Us: DIY Adjustable Glasses

Inventor Josh Silver is on an ambitious mission to provide one billion people with free DIY adjustable eyeglasses by the year 2020. Started over 20 years ago, Silver’s goal is still in the humble beginnings. Silver has already distributed over 30,000 pairs in 15 underdeveloped countries with a proposed 1 million pairs to be distributed this year in India.

Silver’s innovative design allows for user themselves to adjust the level of power of the glasses. Instead of a solid piece of glass or plastic, Silver’s design utilizes a clear fluid-filled sack to adjust the thickness of the lenses. The user would adjust the amount of fluid until reaching the optimum correction of their vision. The do it yourself glasses are a welcomed and much needed gift to regions like the sub-Saharan Africa where the ratio of opticians to persons is 1:1,000,000. And the glasses are low cost too, with a target price of only a dollar a piece.

This ambitious program may one day be able to serve nearly one fifth of the world’s population in need of proper eyecare. What other everyday necessity can be innovated and provided for those in need? Know of any similar projects? Let us know in the comment section.

You can follow Josh Silver’s Adaptive Eyecare project at his website.