Adlens. The Oxford-based company specialises in “adjustable focus eyewear” – glasses that can change their strength at the turn of a dial, depending on what activity you’re using them for. Around 600,000 pairs have been bought around the world in almost four years – including in the developing world. The idea is based on technology from the 1960s developed by the Nobel prize-winning physicist Luis Alvarez. When they were initially developed in the 1960s, each lens cost $1,000, according to Dr Graeme MacKenzie. Thanks to modern technology advancements they now being sold for around £30. The company claims that capturing 3% of the existing market for varifocals in America would be worth around $180m.
