Technically speaking, eyeglasses are already a sort of medical product, requiring a doctor for the prescription and solving a bodily deficiency, but the new Level glasses from VSP Vision Care turn consumers' eyeglasses into the doctors themselves.
VSP Vision Cares Level glasses are like other health and fitness wearables in many ways. They come with a magnetometer, accelerometer, and gyroscope to track things like steps, activity, and calories burned. Since the devices are worn just like regular glasses, though, they can also access optic medical information that other wrist-worn wearables can't.
For instance, eye exams are capable of detecting serious medical conditions like diabetes, high cholesterol, and multiple sclerosis. The Level device, though not currently commercially available, may eventually be able to monitor wearers' eyes and check for these conditions regularly.
What's Driving This Trend
- Health-tracking Eyeglasses
- Opportunity for disruptively innovating the eyewear industry by integrating health tracking capabilities into glasses.
- Wearable Health and Fitness Trackers
- Opportunity for disruptive innovation by expanding the capabilities of wearable trackers to include optic medical information.
- Medical Diagnosis Through Wearables
- Opportunity for disruptive innovation in the healthcare industry by leveraging wearable devices for early detection of medical conditions.
Who This Affects Most
- Eyewear
- Opportunity for disruptive innovation in the eyewear industry by offering glasses that integrate health-tracking capabilities.
- Wearable Technology
- Opportunity for disruptive innovation in the wearable technology industry by expanding health and fitness trackers to include optic medical information.
- Healthcare
- Opportunity for disruptive innovation in the healthcare industry by leveraging wearable devices for early detection of medical conditions.
