History is full of technological innovations originally created with a specific use in mind and that end up finding major applications in completely different fields. This is the case of eSight, innovative glasses that make use of virtual reality head set technology to enable those with visual impairment to see once again.
With 246 million people suffering from visual impairment worldwide, the potential impact of eSight is enormous: retinopathies, AMD, Stargardt disease, … or simply severe myopia. Furthermore, severe visual impairment is linked to an increased risk of death.
eSight technology would enable people with visual impairment to regain use of their eyes. The device is worn in front of the eyes, over eyeglasses and is equipped with a 21.5 megapixel camera that films the surrounding environment. What the camera films is then transmitted to two OLED displays, one in front of each eye, thus guaranteeing optimal image quality.
This technology is similar to that used in virtual reality head sets which is itself derived from that of Smartphones. By displaying information very close to the eye through lenses which give the illusion of distance, eSight is already compensating for myopia problems