ViFlex was most recently recognized by President Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative University 2016 at UC Berkeley.

Overview:

Over 700 million people in developing countries have vision loss that could be resolved with a pair of eyeglasses, resulting in more than $200 billion of lost economic output annually. We believe that everyone should have access to glasses that fit them and that they want to wear. That's why we are developing an innovative solution designed specifically to overcome the challenges of correcting vision in developing countries.

Issue:

Traditional glasses cost too much, and there are too few optometrists to prescribe them. The WHO projects that untreated refractive error will pass HIV/AIDS in global disease burden by 2030 if the status quo persists. Glasses are a simple, effective means of reducing poverty, but they are inaccessible to large segments of the population.

Why Glasses: 

Glasses are a simple way to improve education, economic well-being, and quality-of-life. Providing glasses to those who need them can increase monthly income by 20%, creating an additional $100 per year for an individual earning less than $2 per day. For children with refractive error, a pair of glasses is the educational equivalent of an additional year in school.

Our Solution: 

ViFlex has designed a pair of low-cost eyeglasses that are assembled and customized for the user at the point of sale. They use pre-manufactured lenses that can fix both near and distance vision problems. Here’s how they work:

First, the user tries different lenses and chooses the ones that work best for them. Next, the lenses are inserted into the frames, and the arm pieces are attached. And as simple as that, the glasses are ready for use. 

ViFlex glasses were designed to value specifically for people in developing countries. As a result, ViFlex glasses offer advantages that other glasses don’t. Most importantly, they’re low cost, they don’t require optometrists or specialized equipment, and anyone anywhere in world would be happy wearing them

Validation

Over the past year, we were able to build on the momentum from several engineering competitions and recognition from President Clinton at the Clinton Global Initiative. With partnerships with NGOs, hospitals, and individual physicians, we successfully field-tested our glasses in 8 countries across 4 continents. The feedback we received was overwhelmingly positive, validating our design for value, aesthetics, and functionality.

Why are We Asking for Help? 

We are switching our primary mode of manufacturing from 3D printing to plastic injection molds to both increase our manufacturing capacity and aesthetic appeal. 3D printed glasses leave a rough texture that is uncomfortable and uneven. Our customers strongly prefer injection molded frames, and we want to provide glasses that are both functional and stylish. 

Goal

We are asking for $3,000 in seed funding to help purchase the injection molds for the side arms. The Duke RIPP has graciously agreed to match your donation. Please help make our vision turn into a reality! 

THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTRIBUTION!