# Do you wear glasses? Then check this out... **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 25, 2004, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wear-glasses-then-check-this-out/231051 "2004-02-25T05:33:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Blue\_Dragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Blue\_Dragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Dragon)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 5:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wear-glasses-then-check-this-out/231051/1 "2004-02-25T05:33:36Z")
Not really mundane and pointless… But a genius MIT student invented a new way to manufacture glasses. He estimates the process will reduce the cost of eye wear to about $5 to $10 dollars. It should be ready in about two years. _"Griffith’s advances in low-cost lenses sprung from his interests in rapid prototyping technologies and efficient manufacturing. Using a process dubbed programmable molding, he created a portable device similar to a desktop printer that can produce any prescription lens from a single-mold surface in five to 10 minutes… "_ _…"Griffith has created a prototype device to test the human eye. Patients need only wear the device, which looks like an oversized pair of goggles, and look at the world around them. An electronic sensor superimposed on the goggles monitors the lens in the wearer’s eye and adjusts the device’s lens to cancel the refractive errors, thus determining the correct prescription. "_ He plans on helping poor countries with his invention. [Full Story](http://home.businesswire.com/portal/site/google/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20040219005116&newsLang=en) An interview with him was on the Canadian science show Daily Planet. You can see it at [exn.ca](http://www.exn.ca) in a few days. ---
**Author:** ![SmackFu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/53a042/32.png) [@SmackFu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmackFu)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 5:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wear-glasses-then-check-this-out/231051/2 "2004-02-25T05:46:02Z")
And yet my frames will still cost over $100. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 6:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wear-glasses-then-check-this-out/231051/3 "2004-02-25T06:25:10Z")
Can I keep my Armani frames? ---
**Author:** ![scout1222](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/34f0e0/32.png) [@scout1222](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scout1222)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wear-glasses-then-check-this-out/231051/4 "2004-02-25T16:02:38Z")
> [@SmackFu](#): > > And yet my frames will still cost over $100. A-freaking-men! Because of course you can choose from Guess, Calvin Klein, Armani, Ralph Lauren. _sigh_ Still, the cheaper the better, so it sounds cool. ---
**Author:** ![sinjin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sinjin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sinjin)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wear-glasses-then-check-this-out/231051/5 "2004-02-25T16:06:50Z")
Yeah, but my lenses cost $300 and it took them three times to get them right. This would be great for me. ---
**Author:** ![yoyo3500](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/5daacb/32.png) [@yoyo3500](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yoyo3500)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wear-glasses-then-check-this-out/231051/6 "2004-02-25T16:18:01Z")
This is way cool! When can I get the new lenses? My insurance company is gonna’ love this! ---
**Author:** ![AngelicGemma](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/439d5e/32.png) [@AngelicGemma](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AngelicGemma)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wear-glasses-then-check-this-out/231051/7 "2004-02-25T16:39:27Z")
I don’t suppose he’s planning on trying to reduce the price of contact lenses any time soon? ---
**Author:** ![Profane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e47774/32.png) [@Profane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Profane)\ **Post date:** [February 25, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-wear-glasses-then-check-this-out/231051/8 "2004-02-25T17:54:06Z")
What aree the chances that the savings will get passed on to the consumer? Probably nil.