“Hundreds of millions of people -- some put the estimates as high as two billion -- do not have the corrective lenses that would allow them to lead better, more productive lives. … Though these adjustable glasses cannot yet help with conditions like astigmatism, at least 80 percent of refractive errors can be fixed.”The technology developed by the three groups (one in the UK and two in the Netherlands) revolves around self-correcting lenses, which allow the user to adjust the focus themselves, removing the need for a trained technician:
“[The UK design, called Adspecs, http://www.vdw.ox.ac.uk/2minuteintro.htm, allows for] the corrective power of the glasses to be adjusted by means of a clear fluid injected into the lenses. … [The competing] Dutch models are based on a design pioneered in the 1960s by Luis W. Alvarez, an American who won a Nobel Prize in physics. The design uses two lenses that slide across each other to alter their focus.”Each of the technologies has its pros and cons, and none of the groups is yet in a position to meet its goals of widespread circulation:
“When it comes to choosing sides, many of the charitable groups involved say they are open to whatever glasses do the job. J. Kevin White, a former Marine who runs Global Vision 2020, a foundation that distributes adjustable glasses, said fluid-filled lenses generally offer better optical quality and correct a greater range of refractive error. The Alvarez designs, by contrast, are cheaper, smaller, better-looking and less likely to break.”Have a good weekend.
David
Bill Werther & David Chandler
Strategic Corporate Social Responsibility: Stakeholders in a Global Environment (2e)
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Better Vision For the World, On a Budget
By DOUGLAS HEINGARTNER
1312 words
2 January 2010
The New York Times
Late Edition - Final
1
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/02/business/global/02glasses.html
