Prescription Google Glass Comes into Focus with New Patent

Visually impaired tech geeks rejoice. The US Patent and Trademark Office has officially awarded Google a patent for a prescription version of Google Glass, a move that surprises no one after last week’s sighting of the wearable tech with corrective lenses baked right in.

US Patent 2013/0258270 A1 describes and illustrates a device that can only be Google Glass:

A head-wearable device includes a center support extending in generally lateral directions, a first side arm extending from a first end of the center frame support and a second side arm extending from a second end of the center support.

The patent goes on to imply that there will be modular options with prescription Glass:

The device may further include a nosebridge that is removably coupled to the center frame support.

Finally Google describes Glass features that will no doubt support users requiring corrective lenses:

The device may also include a lens assembly that is removably coupled to the center support or nosebridge. The lens assembly may have a single lens, or a multi-lens arrangement configured to cooperate with display to correct for a user’s ocular disease or disorder.

The October 3, 2013 patent confirms statements the Google has promised for quite some time relative to Glass. Back in March, the Glass team posted to their Google+ account, “One of the questions we hear the most is whether there will be a prescription solution for Glass. The short answer is: yes!”

“We’re still perfecting the design for prescription frames,” the post went on to say. Apparently, the Glass team had been working on the solution for prescription Glass for over a year, according to the patent, which was originally filed on March 20, 2012.

Do you require corrective lenses? How much does prescription Google Glass appeal to you versus wearing contact lenses in conjunction with Glass?