I just got back from a long-overdue visit to the local vision-correction emporium, where I learned that for all these years, I’ve been fumbling through life only able to see 480 lines of resolution through my contact lenses. But now there are HD contact lenses. Bausch & Lomb’s PureVision2 HD lenses have been out for some time now, and I’m just learning about this upgrade to reality now.
The company claims that the lenses have “High Definition‚Ñ¢ Optics, designed to help reduce spherical aberration.” That may be so, but they don’t increase the number of pixels that your eyes can see. It’s almost as if “HD” has just become a meaningless buzzword used to sell things that people look at.
Take care. If you wear these lenses to watch HD TV while wearing HD sunglasses in a room lit with HD light bulbs, you will tear a hole in the universe.
PureVision2 HD [Bausch & Lomb]
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So, where’s my HD prescription eyeglasses? If they can make contacts, then they can make prescription lenses.
I just bought some. They were pricey, BUT I no longer have the massive halos around sources of light at night. A plus for when I am driving. I feel much much safer driving at night now.
I thought the HD moniker was ridiculous as well. However, the results do simulate the better picture of an HD tv versus traditional. (At least to me they did.)
The halo effect disappearing has nothing to do with HD glasses. It’s simply a coating on any type of lens.
Which is probably marketed as an effect of HD…
…which makes the whole HD marketing stupid…which is the point of the article.
Well whatever it is, it is working for me. I have had anti-reflective coatings on every pair prior to this and still had the halos. Now I don’t. So, I am a happy with it.
My HD sun glasses are horrible at night when I’m driving. I can barely see a goddamn thing.
That’s what BluBlockers were for.
My last set were the HD glasses. A little more money, but supposed to be clearer, etc. I don’t plan to get them for my next set of glasses. It seems that I get a polarization affect from them, so when I turn my head sideways, the computer screen gets less clear. Not sure how that works, but I am not wild about them, and will stick with the anti-glare and non-scratch coating. May work for others (perhaps without astigmatism?), but I am not sold.
I have my $28 zenni optical glasses complete with anti glare coating. Without them I can’t tell much of a difference between and SD and HD broadcast. With them it is night and day. My RX has been called “trace”, it’s like the difference between a usable SD and HD for real life.
Anti-glare coating all the way! I don’t buy glasses without it! It helps that ZenniOptical doesn’t charge out the nose for it too..
You should try the HD reading glasses they are found in walgreens next to the optical fiber pencils.
Will they up-convert standard-definition life?
So Laura, after your ‘upgrade’ from 480, do you feel you’re more like 720p, 1080i, 1080p, 2K, 4K?
(and I’m sure all the AV purists will jump in with another whole set of possibilities, including deep color and the various bit levels)
Actually, I gave these a pass and went straight to 3-D contacts. The problem is you have to wear stupid-looking glasses with them.
That sounds awesome. Why did I just spring for PRK!? Oh well, maybe when I get older and need readers…
Yeah, I wonder if you can now see yellow like Sharp’s TV (or that lie they call pink) with the HD lenses.
The problem is imbedding the 3G HDSDI and Folsome processor in your head.
And the jackasses still use 24fs instead of 60 frames, because it looks arty.
I just scratch my cornias for a 16mm look.
I’ve been using these for a couple of months. They took some getting used to, as they are much more substantial (thicker and sturdier) than other brands. I also find that they dry my eyes out much more, especially after a 10-12 hr day staring at a computer screen. But they are nice and clear, and have significantly improved my night vision while driving. Before I had some major issues with glare, and these have greatly cut that down.
On a side note… I thought this was related to some cool HUD-style interface. You really do need to get your title-writer to tone it down a notch… (mostly referring to the article about how the new ipad is “blazing hot” by running 10-15 degrees warmer)
I am an ophthalmologist. This is horse crap.
I am a horse rancher. Pretty sure those are contact lenses.
+1
lol. flawless victory.
Pretty sure that’s the best comment I’ve read all day, hell all week!
aaaah.. like the time i was shopping at Home Depot and we were in line to check out and i see their offering of gift cards. At first glance I see an HD card and before my brain can fully process the significance, my mouth blurts out something along the lines of
“Oh my god, HD credit cards? WTF.. Is everything High Definition now?!?”
My wife still won’t let me live that one down, and my mouth is on double secret probation for operating without checking with brain first.
HAHA omg…I could definitely see myself slipping up and saying something similar before my brain had a chance to tell my mouth no
Sure it might bump you up to 1080p, but what’s the refresh rate on that?
I know, right? HD resolution doesn’t matter if you’re only rocking 30Hz or something.
Go 240Hz with your lenses or go home
Next: Turbo HD!
Oh noes! This means I haven’t been getting the full value out of my 1080p television all this time!!!!!!
And this is why I hate the term ‘HD’ now. It’s been rendered a meaningless market buzzword.
(It was always a marketing buzzword, but it had meaning when relating to television… once upon a time.)
I love seeing ads for laptops that have “High Definition” screens.
I would certainly hope my new laptop isn’t going to have a monitor from 1994!
I agree.
Sincerely,
Angus Beef
So are they 1080p or only 720p? I’m gonna wait until they’re 4k, then maybe I’ll get ‘em.
BluBlockers have been made into contacts?
HD can get in line behind “Digial Ready” on analog devices in the 90′s and “Turbo” on just about anything in the 80′s.
Would this make everything I see letterboxed?
“HD radio” is another good one.
I just have regular contacts, but recently I got a box I can strap on the side of my head that will automatically upconvert them.
You can use regular contact lens holders with your Pure Vision 2 HD contact lenses, but you’re not getting the full benefit of the HD lenses unless you’re using Monster Brand Contact Lens Holders.
“It’s almost as if “HD” has just become a meaningless buzzword used to sell things that people look at.”
Not just things that people look at; haven’t you heard of HD radio?
You know, both “high definition” and “resolution” do not necessarily refer to a number of pixels.
I tuned into a different local radio station this morning, and one of the ads was for a local eye-doctors’ office (with their own glasses & frames store) that now offers high definition prescriptions …
What?! I’m not going there to get my eyes checked.
They come with Geek Squad eye protection.
WTF? I have spherical aberration in my eyes when I wear regular contact lenses? Or do they mean my eyes themselves have that just because they are spherical? If so, do I really want to reduce that? Something tells me everything would look weird.
Meanwhile, nobody knows about Ortho-K as an alternative to glasses, contact lenses or lasik.
I’ve done Ortho-K since 2003, when the FDA finally approved it.
I just want to know if I’d be able to read without a Video Eye or magnifier?
No thanks. I’m holding out for 3D contact lenses that make a 2D billboard advertising Hooters actually worth looking at.
Aspheric lenses have been out for years. I guess Bausch & Lomb is late joining the party. I do know that different manufacturers have differing quality standards and those on the lower end will have quite a bit of variation.
One gripe I do have with Bausch’s contacts (not sure about this new model) is that they use a green tint on them so you can actually find them when they’re in the package/storage container. This green tint makes all of the colors look dull and faded. In stage/theatrical/architectural lighting, we normally try to REMOVE some green from the lights to enhance the warmth and strength of colors that the eye sees. Maybe Bausch finally figured this out.
Of course HD is a meaningless marketing buzzword from the very first day. I bought my first HD TV and life was good. But then they told me that it was only 720p, and now there is 1080p, which is the only “True HD”. So, my previous “HD” was not true? It was a lie all along? Boy, was I mad!!!
Don’t let marketing tell you when to be happy or not.
“Wow, this 3D movie is awesome! I wish life was in 3D!”
“It is.”
–found on Failbook