Screen addicts avoid overworked eyes with blink-inducing glasses

Japan-based glasses manufacturer Masunaga has developed a pair of spectacles that fog up at regular intervals to encourage computer users to blink.

Considering the amount of time the typical office worker now spends staring at a screen, it’s no wonder that complaints such as computer vision syndrome, which apparently causes dry eyes, blurred vision and headaches, have become a reality. We recently wrote about Vigo — the headset that detects drowsiness and lets users know if they should take a break — and now Japanese glasses manufacturer Masunaga has developed a pair of spectacles that fog up at regular intervals to encourage computer users to blink.

Designed for those who use computers for an extended period of time — either as part of their job or through gaming — the lenses of the black-framed Wink Glasses 2013 turn from transparent to translucent for around 0.2 seconds every ten seconds — brief enough to avoid distracting wearers, but nevertheless causing a blink reflex. The glasses contain a small battery in the left arm, which sends an electrical current across layers of liquid crystal inside the lenses. When powered, the liquid crystals align and let light through the glass as normal — a momentary drop in current causes the particles to disperse, creating a brief, translucent flicker. According to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper, users can adjust the duration of each fogging by intervals of 0.1 seconds using a switch on the right arm. The video below offers a demonstration of the Wink Glasses 2013:

Costing JPY 15,750, it’s believed the glasses could help fight the optical strain and dry eyes that blight those who overuse their computers. Are there other ways to ensure screen users avoid damage to their health?