WCAX.COM Local Vermont News, Weather and Sports-High-tech eyewear

"The biggest issue with a traditional progressive is the stronger you go, the more power you need. The narrower your reading area gets, and the more distortion that you get," said Dora Sudarsky, an optometrist.

It's a common complaint among progressive lens wearers-- vision can be distorted when walking down stairs because you have to look through the bottom of your lens, which is only designed for reading up close. But PixelOptics's new line of eyewear called emPower puts controlling your viewing field right at your fingertips.

"What you do is tap the side of the glasses and that pulls your full reading power up in the side of the lens for you to be able to read and when you're done reading you can just tap it again and it turns it off," said Pam Parizo of Champlain Valley Eye Care.

With a traditional progressive, distance strength is at the top, intermediate strength in the middle, and reading strength at the bottom. With emPower, reading strength is only there when you want it.

"To turn them on automatic mode it's a reverse swipe from the back to the front, and then just a tilt of your chin down will turn it on and when you come back up to look at distance, it turns the add power off," Parizo explained.

When the power is off, the intermediate level progresses more slowly in order to fill to the bottom of the lens.

"If you are looking at your computer screen you're going to have to look through the very bottom of the glasses, as opposed to a regular progressive where you just have to look down a little bit," Sudarsky said.

She says that can cause some serious neck pain. And there are some other drawbacks; the glasses weigh a little more than a regular pair; they are only water resistant, not water proof; and because the lenses are battery operated, if you lose your charger, you'll also lose your ability to read up close.

The glasses aren't cheap. They cost about $1,200. But doctors say for some it is worth the investment.

"For somebody who golfs, and when they look down thru a regular progressive the ground is all blurry and this won't have that you'll just turn on the reading when you want it -- so you might be able to wear these more whereas in the past you might have needed different pairs for different activities," Sudarsky said.

Sudarsky says the glasses are best for people who are unable to adjust to a traditional progressive lens. But just like any prescription, you will need to replace these every two years. And right now, that could cost you a lot.

Click here for more on emPower eyewear.

Vermont vendors who sell EmPower electronic eyeglasses:

Eyes of the World
168 Battery St.
Burlington, VT 05401

Francis Pinard, OD
124 East Main St. Ste 1
Newport, VT 05855

Parizo's Champlain Valley Eye Care
69 Woodstock Ave
Rutland, VT 05701

Shelburne Eyeworks
2989 Shelburne Rd. Ste 1
Shelburne, VT 05482

Optical Expressions
2000 Memorial Dr. Ste 6
St. Johnsbury, VT 05819

Robert Bauman, OD
1248 Waterbury Rd. Ste 100
Stowe, VT 05672