emPower autofocusing prescription lenses Video

emPower autofocusing prescription lenses Video Transcript

-Hi, I'm Natali Morris for CNET. You're watching our coverage of the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show and I am wearing the emPower lenses. These are the world's first auto-focusing prescription lenses, or so I'm told. This is not something I normally follow because I don't wear glasses, but I'm told that this is for the market of the older generation that needs reading glasses. What these do is focus themselves when you look down at something to read. Now, there are 3 modes: there is on; there is off; and then there is auto-focus. The way you turn these on is you touch it once to turn it on. You touch it again to turn it off. And then when you wanna put it in auto, you just slide your finger back. When they're on, obviously, they're gonna auto-focus on whatever you're reading. When they're off, they're just going to be glasses that you can look around with. Now, when they're in auto mode, they've got this accelerometer here in the temple that notices when I look down to read something, it's gonna focus. When I look back up, it's gonna come off of that focus that would be ideal for reading. The lenses actually have little wires and liquid crystals in them that are doing this auto-focusing. I'm told they'll cost about 30% more than your prescription glasses and your insurance will cover either all or part of that. I'm sure you're gonna have to talk to your own insurance company. Again, I'm Natali Morris. You just took a first look at the emPower auto-focus prescription lenses here at our coverage at CES 2011.