Novel lenses to improve vision of ageing European workers
European society including its workers continue to age and remain actively employed longer than ever before. As such, correcting poor eyesight has become a key issue for the EU which has set its sights on an employment rate of 50 % for workers aged 55-64 by 2020. Presbyopia is a condition associated with ageing and which results in a progressively diminished ability to focus on near objects. Older workers with presbyopia and other eye conditions routinely choose safety goggles over prescription glasses. In doing so, they become susceptible to several hazards at work, putting themselves and others in danger. With this in mind, the EU-funded LIGHTSWORDS (Lens that might be a satisfactory way of reducing age degradation of sight) project set out to develop and adapt existing technologies in order to manufacture asymmetric plastic lens that effectively deal with poor eyesight. Work began with the definition of the proposed lens' exact requirements, detailed design and verification of the design via numerical simulation of its optical properties. To manufacture the solution, project partners tested two paths of forming technologies. Once the lens were manufactured based on the technologies, the LIGHTSWORDS team performed detailed measurements on them and tested their optical, material and applicative properties. The innovation of the LIGHTSWORDS solution is that it can extend the depth of focus of imaging, compensating for the lost ability as a result of eye conditions like presbyopia. In contrast to bi-, tri- and multi-focal lenses, it provides good sharp vision at any distance extends between 33 centimetres and infinity. Following ophthalmic constrains it may be used for intraocular and extraocular lens. LIGHTSWORDS introduced technology to mass produce high-quality and low-cost lenses. Older workers with vision problems stand to benefit from such innovative lenses.
Keywords
Vision, lens, presbyopia, LIGHTSWORDS, sight, intraocular lens, contact lens
