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This isn't a review. It's not even breaking news. It's just a reminder that someone somewhere is doing something awesome.
I've been fascinated by the "Adspecs" since I first heard of them a few years ago. The glasses have oil-filled lenses which, when adjusted with the attached syringes, allow anyone to dial in their own prescription just by looking at a chart. (I've tried to show how the lens work in the video above.)
This story originally started with a question: Hey, did that project ever actually get off the ground?
I'm happy to report that it has—to the tune of 30,000 pairs of Adspecs already in the field around the world (http://www.vdw.ox.ac.uk/map.htm), distributed through a variety of aid organizations.
For the last few weeks, I've been speaking to the Centre for Vision in the Develop World's Owen Reading about where the project is going. It doesn't hurt he's a Gizmodo reader. (Hi, Owen!) He explained why the Adspecs are such a good solution for developing economies.
"They require very little training to dispense, can be dispensed by an organisation's volunteers in the field, they only need to be delivered once and can make a difference for years afterwards, and are inherently safer (and less valuable on the black market) than items such as prescription medications."
Source: How Oil-Filled Lenses are Bringing Sight to Those in Need (http://gizmodo.com/5463368/how-oil+filled-lenses-are-bringing-sight-to-those-in-need)