This article is more than 10 years old

This article is more than 10 years old

Two years ago, Yves Béhar helped prove that even an object as complicated and expensive as a laptop could, with a little imagination, be stripped back to its basics and sold for just $100 (£65). Since then, more than 1m portable computers based on his practical, rugged design have been distributed to children in developing countries as part of the One Laptop Per Child programme.

Now the California-based designer has turned his skills to an even more ubiquitous piece of kit: the humble spectacles.

He became involved after a Mexican optics company, Augen, discovered that students' eyesight – especially in the country's poorer states – was having a drastic impact on their marks.

Research showed that 11% of children were not learning simply because they could not read blackboards or books. The company found that in schools in states such as Morelos, Sonora and Chiapas up to 70% of pupils needed glasses.

Augen teamed up with the Mexican government to launch a programme along the lines of Béhar's OLPC, called See Well to Learn Better.

The plan is to provide 400,000 free pairs of glasses every year.

The problem was the cost, which is where Béhar came in. But he did not want to compromise on quality, strength or style. The maths, he decided, was pretty straightforward: children plus a sandy environment equals a need for robust eyewear."Similar to the OLPC philosophy, I want to design products that are suited to the children's specific needs, life and environment," he said. "The children receiving these glasses need frames that are durable and ergonomic."

Children everywhere are among the fussiest consumers on the planet, so the frames also had to be wearable.

Behar designed in a fashion-factor by giving them "key customisation elements like shape and colour that make wearing the glasses fun and personal".

The incredibly light and almost unbreakable glasses, which would not look out of place gracing faces in some of Europe's edgier creative neighbourhoods, are made from advanced plastics and have a two-part design.

The frame is split in two halves – top and bottom – giving children the option to mix and match colours and shapes when they choose their frames. This allows an extra dimension of individual expression, and easy assembly of the lenses inside the frame without costly heating processes.

During manufacture, the top and bottom of the frame are sonically welded at the nose bridge, after which the lenses can be easily inserted and secured with a simple hinge screw.

The glasses are to be distributed by optometrists, who will travel to the schools, test the children, and then place the order with the factory.

A couple of weeks later, the children will receive custom glasses that they feel they have designed and are truly personal to them.

Augen and Béhar are now looking at expanding the programme to other countries. "This project follows our philosophy that design should continue to make a difference beyond the commercial world, and that non-profits do need emotional appeal and efficient solutions just as much as for-profit companies," said Béhar.

"Design can make a tremendous difference and we believe this is a responsibility that the industrial profession carries: to bring transformative solutions."