If you’re one of the many who wear prescription eyeglasses with bifocal or progressive lenses, your life could soon become much simpler thanks to a company called PixelOptics.

In June, the Roanoke, Va., company will start selling its emPower eyeglasses, electronic eye-ware that lets wearers switch between differing prescriptions–one for close-up reading and one for distance viewing.

The glasses use a thin layer of liquid crystals sandwiched between two plastic layers. Electric current from a built-in rechargeable battery alters the focal power of the lens sandwich in the blink of an eye. (And a six to eight hour charge can run the emPower for more than three days.)

PixelOptic’s emPower line of glasses will be rolled out to professional eyecare specialists one region at a time, starting with Virginia and North Carolina in June. But PixelOptics envisions they could be nationwide by the end of the year.

The high-tech specs won’t be cheap–about $1,000 to $1,200 per pair of emPowers. Still, pricey electronic eyeglasses can be a convenient alternative for those with qualms over corrective surgery with lasers.

Bye bifocals! New specs change focus [CNN]

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