With many individuals needing eyewear for general safety and vision correction, it's no surprise that global demand is growing. A report from GlobeNewswire shows that the eyewear market is keeping pace with changing eyecare needs, from the increasing risk of digital eye strain to the demand for both fashionable and practical eyewear. As distribution channels for sunglasses and eyeglasses also continue to expand, the industry was valued at $126.09 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $223.22 billion by 2030.
At the core of this significant growth are also innovations and advancements. With that being said, let's take a closer look at new and innovative eyewear in terms of their design, development, and features.
Recycled materials for sunglasses
The eyewear industry was once accused of lagging behind the sustainability agenda, but recent developments in using recycled materials prove otherwise. A notable example is an initiative by The Ocean Cleanup, a nonprofit organization that creates sustainable frames from plastic trash found and collected in the ocean. Since the plastics have degraded and turned brittle over time, The Ocean Cleanup ensures that the materials undergo an extensive recycling process that makes them safe to use for sunglasses. These sunglasses are designed for ultraviolet (UV) protection and are available for $199 on the organization's website, with proceeds going to ocean cleanup efforts.
Glasses with smart features
Nowadays, the function of sunglasses no longer begins and ends with eye protection. Aside from looking sleek and stylish, the introduction of smart glasses shows that you can use your choice of eyewear for taking photos, shooting videos, listening to music, and more. In particular, the Ray-Ban Stories Smart Glasses come with a dual 5MP camera, open-ear speakers, and touch control to capture the moment and use all the features hands-free while on the go. The Stories glasses can also be linked to Facebook for seamless uploading and viewing, and can be bought in classic Ray-Ban styles like Wayfarer, Round, and Meteor.
AI-enabled interface for eyewear
Aside from camera, video, and audio features, did you know that smart glasses can also use artificial intelligence (AI) to stay connected at all times? Innovative Eyewear, Inc. has recently introduced Lucyd, a voice interface for ChatGPT integrated into smart glasses. Using this, glass wearers can ask their questions using the built-in microphone and get their responses from the AI bot straight through their stereo speakers or headphones. While ChatGPT already enables maximum speed and performance for browsing or researching, the Lucyd app can also be synced with a smartphone for enhanced visual accessibility.
3D printing for fast-paced production
Lastly, technology can also play a significant role in speeding up the design and manufacturing process for eyewear. By collaborating with the 3D printing service Materialise, optical technology company Vuzix is developing functional, fashionable, and affordable smart eyewear with significantly reduced design cycles. Among the exciting smart eyewear features that Vuzix aims to rapidly introduce to the market are on-screen displays for health metrics like heart rate, speech-to-text translation, and augmented reality (AR) gaming. With 3D-printed glasses, eyewear companies can also meet consumers' specific aesthetic needs at a faster pace and with lower costs.
From the examples above, it's clear that eyewear companies continue to innovate their processes and business models to leverage new technologies like AI and more. More importantly, the eyewear industry is in a constant phase of transformation to meet ever-evolving consumer demands when it comes to cost, style, ease of use, and overall eye health.
