7 ms·

These glasses address farsightedness, which doesn't apply while driving. Worst case you just take them off.

cperciva 4mo ago
Plenty of us are simultaneously far and near sighted. I can't drive without glasses, but until I got progressive lenses I couldn't use my phone with my glasses on.
- WalterBright 4mo ago
  If you cannot drive without glasses, the sensible thing is to keep a backup pair in the car. After all, glasses can fall off and get lost under the seat, get stepped on, etc.
  - Noumenon72 4mo ago
    That's a smart idea, similar to how I keep a little cash in the car just in case. For example, I could get something in my eyes and have to remove my contacts, and an old pair of glasses would let me get home.
  - t-3 4mo ago
    This is why I keep a pair of prescription sunglasses in my car. Added bonus is cutting the astigmatism glare while driving at night.
  - gchamonlive 4mo ago
    Still doesn't address the fact that if the glasses fail mid drive it poses a serious security risk if you can't pull over to switch glasses. Doing so in a highway in a moving car is inadvisable regardless of the technology behind the glasses.
    - WalterBright 4mo ago
      Keep them within easy reach, like the driver door pocket.
      - gchamonlive 4mo ago
        Changing glasses while driving on a high speed lane is dangerous regardless of where you put your spare glasses
        consp 4mo ago
        Considering what people do whole driving, I doubt this will add any measurable risk.
        onetokeoverthe 4mo ago
        [dead]
        gchamonlive 4mo ago
        On the contrary, if you are a perfect driver and only reach for you glasses, that adds a small risk. But this is a complex system, driving and multitasking, so added complexity surely compounds, maybe even exponentially. If you are texting, then talking to your kids, then your brother next to you starts blasting loud music on the radio, adding another task like changing glasses increases the risk of an accident a lot, because less and less you are concentrated on the traffict.
  - ChrisC-POV 4mo ago
    Similarly, if a FAA-licensed pilot requires glasses to fly, it becomes a legal requirement that they carry a readily-accessible second pair while exercising the privileges of their license. This even applies if they use contacts (and, no, extra contacts don’t count :). It is also a requirement for international flight operations under ICAO regulations. I’m pretty sure this regulation (or something close to it) is enforced by just about every flight-licensing authority worldwide. It’s plain good sense and I’m glad it’s in there. A plane cannot pull over to the side of the highway while the pilot fumbles around trying to dig his glasses out from under the seat :) (As a side note, this rule isn’t just for dropped spectacles: there have been cases where they literally get sucked out of the airplane if a cockpit window fails or where a bird strike causing facial injuries also damages the pilots glasses).
- elzbardico 4mo ago
  According to the article the technology can be incorporated into normal prescription lenses, and when the battery is empty, it would behave as that lens without any adaption for when focusing near stuff.
1123581321 4mo ago
If they are replacing bifocals, the wearer needs both a near- and far-sighted prescription. Far-sighted only would never need these. Either failure mode would be dangerous while driving because you need to be able to read your dash.
- WalterBright 4mo ago
  It's not a crisis if you cannot read your dash. How often do you look at the oil pressure gauge, for example? As for speed, just move with the traffic.
  - bluGill 4mo ago
    I had a car with a broken dash. The only thing I missed for the month until I fixed it was the fuel gauge. I probably didn't estimate my speed very accurately but I was close enough to not get a ticket.
    - WalterBright 4mo ago
      Yes, with my old cars I've had broken dashes, too. I discovered I maintained speed by the engine pitch - because when I drove a silent car, I couldn't seem to maintain a consistent speed! As for the gas gauge, the trick is to reset the local odometer at every fillup, and you'll have an indication of the remaining fuel. Some older cars don't even have a fuel gauge, they just have a lamp that glows when it gets low.
      - bluGill 4mo ago
        I my case I tore the dash apart because the speedometer wasn't working, and the odometer is connected to that. Only after tearing the dash apart could I see the cable to the transmission wasn't turning. Until I found the real problem there wasn't a hurry as I removed the cable several times before I found what was really broke.
        WalterBright 4mo ago
m463 4mo ago
I think the car is 100% a use case. There are plenty of driving bifocals - they address the need to see the road, but also see the dashboard and controls. Also, lots of older people get cataract surgery and can be perpetually farsighted (distance iol chosen)

Plenty of us are simultaneously far and near sighted. I can't drive without glasses, but until I got progressive lenses I couldn't use my phone with my glasses on.

WalterBright 4mo ago
If you cannot drive without glasses, the sensible thing is to keep a backup pair in the car. After all, glasses can fall off and get lost under the seat, get stepped on, etc.
- Noumenon72 4mo ago
  That's a smart idea, similar to how I keep a little cash in the car just in case. For example, I could get something in my eyes and have to remove my contacts, and an old pair of glasses would let me get home.
- t-3 4mo ago
  This is why I keep a pair of prescription sunglasses in my car. Added bonus is cutting the astigmatism glare while driving at night.
- gchamonlive 4mo ago
  Still doesn't address the fact that if the glasses fail mid drive it poses a serious security risk if you can't pull over to switch glasses. Doing so in a highway in a moving car is inadvisable regardless of the technology behind the glasses.
  - WalterBright 4mo ago
    Keep them within easy reach, like the driver door pocket.
    - gchamonlive 4mo ago
      Changing glasses while driving on a high speed lane is dangerous regardless of where you put your spare glasses
      - consp 4mo ago
        Considering what people do whole driving, I doubt this will add any measurable risk.
        onetokeoverthe 4mo ago
        [dead]
        gchamonlive 4mo ago
        On the contrary, if you are a perfect driver and only reach for you glasses, that adds a small risk. But this is a complex system, driving and multitasking, so added complexity surely compounds, maybe even exponentially. If you are texting, then talking to your kids, then your brother next to you starts blasting loud music on the radio, adding another task like changing glasses increases the risk of an accident a lot, because less and less you are concentrated on the traffict.
- ChrisC-POV 4mo ago
  Similarly, if a FAA-licensed pilot requires glasses to fly, it becomes a legal requirement that they carry a readily-accessible second pair while exercising the privileges of their license. This even applies if they use contacts (and, no, extra contacts don’t count :). It is also a requirement for international flight operations under ICAO regulations. I’m pretty sure this regulation (or something close to it) is enforced by just about every flight-licensing authority worldwide. It’s plain good sense and I’m glad it’s in there. A plane cannot pull over to the side of the highway while the pilot fumbles around trying to dig his glasses out from under the seat :) (As a side note, this rule isn’t just for dropped spectacles: there have been cases where they literally get sucked out of the airplane if a cockpit window fails or where a bird strike causing facial injuries also damages the pilots glasses).
elzbardico 4mo ago
According to the article the technology can be incorporated into normal prescription lenses, and when the battery is empty, it would behave as that lens without any adaption for when focusing near stuff.

1123581321 4mo ago

If they are replacing bifocals, the wearer needs both a near- and far-sighted prescription. Far-sighted only would never need these. Either failure mode would be dangerous while driving because you need to be able to read your dash.

WalterBright 4mo ago
It's not a crisis if you cannot read your dash. How often do you look at the oil pressure gauge, for example? As for speed, just move with the traffic.
- bluGill 4mo ago
  I had a car with a broken dash. The only thing I missed for the month until I fixed it was the fuel gauge. I probably didn't estimate my speed very accurately but I was close enough to not get a ticket.
  - WalterBright 4mo ago
    Yes, with my old cars I've had broken dashes, too. I discovered I maintained speed by the engine pitch - because when I drove a silent car, I couldn't seem to maintain a consistent speed! As for the gas gauge, the trick is to reset the local odometer at every fillup, and you'll have an indication of the remaining fuel. Some older cars don't even have a fuel gauge, they just have a lamp that glows when it gets low.
    - bluGill 4mo ago
      I my case I tore the dash apart because the speedometer wasn't working, and the odometer is connected to that. Only after tearing the dash apart could I see the cable to the transmission wasn't turning. Until I found the real problem there wasn't a hurry as I removed the cable several times before I found what was really broke.
      - WalterBright 4mo ago

m463 4mo ago

I think the car is 100% a use case. There are plenty of driving bifocals - they address the need to see the road, but also see the dashboard and controls. Also, lots of older people get cataract surgery and can be perpetually farsighted (distance iol chosen)