Are Autofocus Glasses the Wave of the Future?

If you've ever donned a pair of bifocal glasses, you may already know how jarring it can be when your eye goes from looking down at something in close proximity to looking up towards something that's further away. This shift happens thanks to the way that these types of lenses are designed, which involves having two different prescriptions in the same lens, but split horizontally to give you coverage for seeing things that are both near and far, without having to swap glasses.

However, some eyeglass companies say that they have the perfect solution for this: Autofocus glasses. These companies claim that the lenses will be able to sense the wearer's changing vision needs and adjust the prescription in the lens accordingly, using a combination of high-tech and simple minerals.

Of course, this sounds too good to be true for some glasses wearers, leaving many to wonder whether or not autofocus glasses actually work. Here's what we know about the technology.

As someone who wears bifocals on the regular, I was intrigued to find out whether or not these types of glasses are the real deal. According to reviewers, it's a mixed bag on the results that people see when wearing these types of lenses. For example, a set of autofocus glasses that are sold on Amazon for $9.59 for a two-pack has only earned three out of five stars, with 379 reviews.

While many reviewers say that they work fine for close viewing, they don't seamlessly transition for distance.

A study published in the Science Advances journal tackles this very topic to see if autofocus is capable of doing what it claims, but according to optometrist Meenal Agarwal, who spoke with CNET about the topic, they may not exist yet.

"There have been research prototypes like Stanford's autofocal glasses," she said. "There have also been other startup efforts and optical research into adaptive lenses and autofocus eyewear. But none have consumer-ready, lightweight glasses in the market yet."

There is a wide range of products out there that claim to deliver an autofocus feature, which works by using smart sensors and liquid crystals to instantly change the prescription of the lens depending on where the wearer is looking. And, as we've mentioned, there are some glasses on the market that are relatively affordable, but they don't seem to have great reviews.

However, a Finnish company called IXI says it may have cracked the code on autofocus glasses, but it will come at a price.

According to CNN, the company has raised $40 million to bring its autofocus glasses to the market in 2027. And when they arrive, they will cost significantly more than you'd pay for your traditional glasses. In fact, it seems like these specs would set the wearer back four figures, which could put them out of reach for many.

However, if IXI can deliver on their promise, which is that these glasses will also adapt to your changing prescription over time, they could potentially be the last pair of glasses you ever need to purchase, which would make them a steal.