Topic: 2020eyeglassframes
According to a recent Huffington Post article, Eyeglasses for the World, OneDollarGlasses founder Martin Aufmuth has created a device that creates eyeglasses for $1 per pair. What makes this even better is that opticians in third world countries can be trained to create these glasses after just 14 days of training. Martin suggests that trained opticians sell the glasses for $2 to $7 to turn a profit.
Approximately 10% of the world’s population has some form of vision impairment. This means that 10% of population can’t see enough to work which then leads to poverty. A brand new pair of eyeglasses can make the difference between earning a living and becoming a beggar.
For approximately $1, the poor and needy can get eyeglasses made from lightweight, flexible steel with prefab lenses. Because approximately 150 million people need eyeglasses but can’t afford them, these frames are making a world of difference.
According to The Guardian, Mr. Aufmuth also won the top prize for the Siemens Stiftung award in October, 2013 for the OneDollarGlasses project. Interestingly, it took him just over three years to develop the technology to create the eyeglasses.
How it Works
The OneDollarGlasses optician has a box with 25 lenses (made in China) varying in strength from -6.0 to +6.0 diopters in steps of 0.5 diopters (a diopter is a unit of measurement of the optical power of a lens).
Polycarbonate is much more resistant than glass or resin, which are commonly used in glasses. The lenses, which have notches, can be simply clicked into the frame by hand. Because the glasses – individually adjustable and almost unbreakable – are lightweight, they do not require traditional nose bridges.
“Extreme poverty does not only mean hunger, but also illness, hopelessness, missed opportunities in life,” Aufmuth says on his website. “Many of them cannot go to school for that reason, cannot work and can – as a consequence – not provide for themselves and their families. This is what I want to change.”