Hands on: Adlens John Lennon variable focus glasses is one (hippie) pair fits all

As one could probably imagine (or if you’ve been scolded enough times by your parents for playing games in the dark), working in front of a computer screen for a living means an eventual poor vision. This has all been the case for me and my fellow workmates as we all require glasses, contact lens, Lasik surgery, or some form of vision correction. What if one tool can save you the expense and time consumption of visiting an optometrist and deliver glasses you can adjust to your prescription strength without having to sit in funky chairs and read letters of a wall a couple of times a year? What if said tool can also make you look like the infamous Beatle: Mr. John Lennon?

Combine the two concepts together and you’ve got Adlens‘ John Lennon™ Collection Eyewear: A series of variable focus lens glasses you can adjust to fit any prescription. This means I could wear the glasses, pass the same pair on to my brother and he’d fix it to fit his prescription strength, hand it back to me and I can change the power back. Alternatively, I can also keep adjusting the strength in case my eyesight worsens.

The magic is within Adlens’ “Fluid-Injection technology” which changes the shape of the lens, thereby adjusting the power. The silicon oil fluid gets pumped in and out to help bend the lens into different curvatures to match desired focus. The adjusting knobs look a little goofy sitting at the side of the frames, but you only need them for a few seconds to adjust to your preferred strength before removing the knobs and sealing the prescription for normal wear. At a cost of $160, these Adlens glasses are practical and affordable for those on a budget.

Taking this budget notion further, Adlens also has a Vision For A Nation program which sends a pair of Adlens glasses to Rwanda for every frame purchased. “In Rwanda, there are 1.1 million people in need of glasses and there are only four optometrists – leading to many children being pulled from school to support their families that are unable to work because of weak vision,” the company states.

Again, for $160, these glasses are comparable to any pair you’d pay for in a regular optical shop. The adjustments work for both near and far-sighted prescriptions between -4.5 to +3.5 diopters. I did find that the width of the frame fits a little snug, and the glasses are overall rather narrow. Still, the plastic frames are thick and durable, the lens are fairly easy to clean of smudges, the colored lens are funky if you dig the look, and they come with a nose pads are adjustable to all sizes. The last is a feature many plastic frames lack. I would know, because I have a rather flat nose bridge and plastic glasses are always falling off my face.

While I do genuinely like the intent and idea behind Adlens’ John Lennon Eyewear, I have to admit I would not personally rock these babies. Let’s face it: They make me look like Yoko Ono, and that’s not a look I’m willing to embrace. However, I do like the idea of adjustable focus lens, and for those who can showcase the vintage-y feel of these classic John Lennon frames, the Adlens are a good alternative to expensive reading glasses you have to wait to get done at the optometrist’s. If you can make these work for your face, they’ll probably last you forever – no matter how often your eyesight deteriorates (as long as it doesn’t go above or below the max diopters). The Adlens John Lennon Collection offers glasses are currently making trade show rounds globally, and should be available on the Adlens online shop later this year. While you wait, might we suggest writing a few songs to get you set up for the look? We can’t ensure groupies, but it doesn’t hurt to try.