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Have you thought of how expensive eyeglasses costs? And how many people are in need to have one in order to correct their vision? Or have you thought of how many people there are in the world in need for an eye check-up and with only few eye specialists? How could the world possibly address this case? Someone just found the perfect solution for those whose eyesight needs correcting without the need of seeing an optometrist or ophthalmologist. All that’s needed is technology that would lead to these new discoveries.

University of Oxford physics professor Joshua Silver developed an affordable solution for those who can’t afford to see an eye specialist or a pair of glasses. Silver developed self-refractive glasses. The glasses “consists of a clear membranes filled with silicon oil.” The user can have full control of the amount of liquid on the lenses depending on the need for correct eyesight. A dial is attached to a syringe filled with the silicon oil. The amount of oil in the lenses changes the glasses curvature. Once the amount of oil already suits their vision, it can then be sealed with the valve. Instantly, one would have a pair of glasses that would help correct their eyesight without even visiting or seeing an optometrist.

Although this new invention has its limitations, like it can’t correct astigmatism and it’s not proven to work on children, but it has made a decent percentage of success. The glasses were known to have correct the vision of 80% of the people who used it.

With further development needed and the bigger problem on distribution, Silver sees that the invention still has a long way to go. The glasses are less fashionable and they are still in the process to make the lenses suitable for everyone’s use. Also, Silver saw a problem on budget and distribution and said he can’t do it alone.

Setting aside all the walls that could possibly bar to helping millions of people, Silver keeps a positive outlook that the discovery of self-refractive lenses is just a start.