FUTURE FOCUS: WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY

An Eye for TECHNOLOGY

The incredible, expanding world of wearable technology, from the very latest on Google Glass’ optical partnerships and Rx programs to competitive emerging products

BY ERINN MORGAN

Make no mistake—wearable technology is here to stay, from the heads-up display (HUD) Google Glass to the soon-to-launch Apple Watch. In fact, according to a September report from Juniper Research, a U.K.-based market research firm that specializes in wireless technology, wearable smart device shipments are expected to more than quadruple globally by 2017, reaching 116 million units, compared to an estimated 27 million this year.

At the forefront of this movement—and with growing links to the optical market—is Google Glass. Its biggest challenge? Consumer buy-in.

What’s New with Glass?

New features, functions, apps, collaborations, and competitors—a lot has changed since Google launched the much-discussed Explorer program for its Glass wearable technology device in 2013. Then, Glass was only available to a select few who applied to be a part of the Explorer program, were approved, and paid the $1,500 to receive the beta version. Today, Glass is still in Explorer beta mode, but anyone willing to pay the price can have the device, which is now available with Rx lenses in a variety of frame styles (including titanium models) as well as in plano sunglasses.

“We’re still in the Explorer phase of development, but we’ve had 22 updates since we started,” says Anna Richardson White, Google Glass communications manager. “We’ve added almost 90 apps to the MyGlass website so our users can choose which apps they want to include on their devices. We’ve also launched music on Glass, [Android] Notification Sync on Glass, and we have a selection of frames and shades that all help make it more and more useful in daily life.”

Some app developers, however, say it’s time to move on. In the past 10 months, new competitors have cropped up with wearable tech that rivals Glass’ features and functions. All the while, Google has been updating Glass and the company continues to debut Glassware apps.

“[We had] 88 at last count,” says Richardson White. “We want to give our Explorers a lot of options for how and when they use Glass. Some people love to use it to look up recipes when they cook (AllTheCooks helps with that), or when they take a bike ride (Strava is great there), or even when they play golf (GolfSight is really popular)—we want users to be able to find the apps they love when they’re using Glass.”

Glass has also made a foray into optical, inking deals with VSP for prescription services, Marchon for frame design, Maui Jim for sunglasses, and Luxottica for “innovative iconic wearable devices.” Some eyecare professionals using Glass have found new ways in which it is proving effective in an optical setting. Opening the optical market even further to wearable tech, Rochester Optical was demonstrating other products, in addition to Glass, at the recent Hong Kong Optical Fair.

Rx’ing Glass 101

To date, nearly 4,500 VSP network providers have completed training learning how to fit Glass with prescription lenses. How do they get schooled on Rx’ing this high-tech device?

Through a partnership with Google, VSP Vision Care is offering its providers access to online Glass training, which covers attaching the device, fitting Glass frames, prescription ranges and lenses, and warranties.

“Providers must then pass an online quiz to become a Glass Preferred Provider,” says Matt Alpert, O.D., with Alpert Vision Care in Woodland Hills, CA. “Doctors and staff can take the training, and they can revisit it at any time to refresh their knowledge.”

While Glass Preferred Providers are specifically trained in Glass—and how to best measure and fit Glass with prescription lenses—device wearers can order their prescription lenses from any provider, and there are other firms, such as Rochester Optical and England-based Waterside Labs, who are working with Google Rx lenses and frames.

Are there any unique challenges to fitting Glass with frames—and prescription lenses? According to Eli Peli, O.D., Google Glass advisor and professor of ophthalmology at Harvard University, there have been no major challenges in incorporating the frames or the lenses into the Google Glass design. “So far, the level of introduction to the market is low in the grand scheme of the eyecare industry, but no issues have come to our attention.”

According to Dr. Alpert, however, while almost all prescriptions can be fit, Glass does have a few optical challenges—and benefits:

WIDE Rx RANGE: The current range is +4.00 to -4.00D spherical equivalence (2D maximum astigmatism). Different frame styles may have different recommend ranges.

PRESBYOPIA? NO PROBLEM: For presbyopes, the prescription range applies to the distance prescription. As the optics display is set for distance, there shouldn’t be any issues prescribing bifocals or progressives for Glass.

BLOCKING PHOTOCHROMIC CHANGE: A unique challenge is that photochromic lenses may not turn as dark near the Glass display, as the display is photochromic and may block photochromic color change on the ophthalmic lens.

VIEWING ZONE: Another challenge is that due to the fixed nature of the Glass display in the superior/temporal field of the patient’s right eye, an adequate distance viewing zone below the display box and above the add must be ensured.

Glass & You

You may Rx it for your patients, but would you wear Google Glass in your practice? Dr. Alpert says he sees a bright future for Glass as a wearable technology with many uses in running an optical practice.

“I was an early adopter of Glass and have been using the technology for quite some time, both personally and professionally. As far as integration into day-to-day work at our practices, we’ve used Glass for things like interoffice communication, hands-free photo documentation, and as a way to get on-the-spot access to the Internet,” he says.

While Glass has been criticized for its invasive nature (it’s front and center on the user’s face), Dr. Alpert says most patients are not put off but instead naturally curious about Glass. “I’ve seen an overwhelmingly positive response to the technology—especially once I’ve had a chance to demonstrate its capabilities and show off some of the features,” he says.

“More than anything else, the integration of Glass into our practice demonstrates to our customers that we’re on the cutting edge when it comes to technology and can be seen as resource for people with questions about wearables,” Dr. Alpert notes. “As the market grows and technology continues to take center stage, it’s important to embrace that change and ensure you’re ready to meet the needs of consumers who adopt it.”

Glass is still in its Explorer phase, but Google has suggested that this product will be officially launched at retail outlets in 2015 (currently, it is sold only via the company’s website).

“We’re focused on getting feedback from our Explorers and using that feedback to make the device really great,” says Google Glass’ Richardson White. “We’ll then launch our consumer version when it is ready.”

Meanwhile, some eyecare professionals are looking to Glass as a potential boon to their business in terms of providing next-level technology.

“This represents a whole new opportunity for optometrists to be involved at the forefront of wearable technology and to be seen as a resource to their patients in this space,” adds Dr. Alpert.

Looking forward, he notes potential advancements: “As a doctor, what I’m most excited about is the future of smart eyewear in the healthcare field. Imagine an enhanced frame that could track something as simple as the number of steps you’ve taken to something as advanced as your glucose levels.”

On that front, the research team at VSP Global’s innovation lab, The Shop, is actively looking at these kinds of advances and how frames—arguably the oldest kind of wearable technology—could transform into a high-tech diagnostic tool.

“Glass has been an incredible springboard for this kind of thinking,” observes Dr. Alpert. “When you think about a time when patients are empowered to monitor their personal health through wearables, the future looks bright.”