Presbyopia affects almost everyone as they age. The visual conditionwhich touches almost 90% of Americans over the age of 45 – that is about 128 million people in the US – means people cannot focus on close objects in addition to they used to.
There are often two options for helping with presbyopia: Use different glasses for different distances, or select progressive glasses, which cost as much as $1,500 – much more than monofocal, bifocal or trifocal glasses. Startup Deep Optics is attempting to bring a third choice to market, starting with adaptive sunglasses that change from reading glasses to regular sunglasses when you progress the frame.
Deep Optics’ flagship product is 32°N, an $849 pair of sunglasses for individuals who need glasses for close reading but have no other vision correction needs. Users can put on the 32°N glasses and touch the temples to modify between regular sunglasses and reading glasses on the go.
32°N glasses in motion. Source: Deep Optics
Since its inception, Deep Optics has raised over $300,000 in crowdfunding Kickstarterover 1,200 pairs were sold, won awards for the invention and received investments from the largest brands in the eyewear industry. The company’s early adopters were already using the adaptive sunglasses for reading and even knitting outdoors.
– said Yariv Haddad, founder and CEO of Deep Optics Entrepreneur the company hopes to start out selling its sunglasses in U.S. optical stores this yr.
Yariv Haddad, founder and CEO of Deep Optics. Source: Meir Cohen
Haddad shared some exclusive information about the startup’s journey so far and its growth and expansion strategies this yr.
What did you do before Deep Optics and why did you choose to start out the company?
I have been in technology for almost 30 years, working in a number of roles across a number of sectors, including biotechnology, enterprise software, and computer animation. In my last position before founding Deep Optics, I led the R&D department at a startup that invented a recent kind of mobile phone camera.
After acquiring the startup, two of my colleagues (each experts in electro-optics) and I met with serial entrepreneur Saar Wilf, who proposed developing a recent kind of energetic focus glasses for 3D TVs. The goal of this technology was to supply a more realistic and immersive 3D experience by eliminating common negative effects of 3D displays akin to eye strain and nausea.
We quickly realized two essential facts. First, the development of those glasses for vision correction would have a much greater impact than 3D TVs. People over the age of 45 can not focus at closer distances as they once did and have the selection of using multiple pairs of glasses for different distances or wearing progressive glasses, which are limited and unintuitive. Thanks to this technology, the glasses robotically focus in the distance and near.
Second, the market lacked the crucial tunable lenses we wanted for our product. With these insights, we began to develop the core technology of tunable lenses based on liquid crystal technology, focusing on the vision correction market.
We collaborated with liquid crystal research centers and leading LCD manufacturers in Asia, culminating in our first proof of concept in 2015. That same yr, we received our first institutional investment from Essilor (now a part of EssilorLuxottica – a global leader in eyewear, optical lenses and retail sale of optical products).
How do you intend to develop Deep Optics in 2024?
We are preparing to premiere the second generation of glasses at the Vision Expo East fair in March. Our goal for 2024 is to start selling 32°N glasses in U.S. optical stores in the second and third quarters.
While our marketing goals for 2024 are focused on the current 32°N sunglasses model, our R&D team is already working on additional products. Our next milestone is making 32°N sunglasses available to people requiring distance vision correction (corrective glasses).
Sunglasses 32°N. Source: Deep Optics
Then we are working on exciting recent features akin to automatic activation of the reading function. The first version of this feature will probably be presented at Vision Expo; the glasses will robotically switch into and out of reading mode when the user looks at the phone. The glasses activate robotically and apply different optical power depending on how close the user is to the phone.
An much more advanced implementation of this approach is currently being developed in our laboratories, using eye-tracking modules built into the glasses. The glasses can detect when the user is looking at a close distance, so this automatic lens operation can work not only when looking at the phone, but also at any close object.
How did you ensure there was demand for the product?
That’s a great query. 32°N is not only about recent technologies; it’s about a completely different human vision experience because of lenses that dynamically change focus. We couldn’t have predicted how well people would take it.
That’s why Kickstarter was the perfect platform for us. The campaign included a very detailed product description and a video presenting the glasses and the experience of using them. The enthusiasm and support for the project were extremely positive indicators for us. This was very true provided that the Kickstarter community is generally younger than 32°N’s potential customers.
Another type of validation was our beta tester group. At the starting of the project, we created initial glasses designs by hand and distributed them to about 50 users. Their insightful feedback throughout the product development process was invaluable and helped us steer our efforts in the right direction.
Do you have any advice or suggestions for aspiring founders?
When we decided to start out Deep Optics, we said we’d build a prototype in three months and bring the product to market in two years. It took us 18 months to build the prototype and then several more years to create our first product. You must have the commitment and resilience to remain on the journey, and the open-mindedness to change course with every surprising development you encounter.
Other [piece of] The advice I may give is to keep in mind that this is a lifestyle, not a one-time project. The more failures you encounter, the easier it should be to deal with them. And the thrill of achievements along the way is the fuel. I won’t ever get used to seeing people over 70 and 80 years old using smart optical glasses on a day by day basis – a product that existed beyond our imagination just a few years ago.