I went to EssilorLuxottica's Paris facilities to learn how the digital age is reshaping eyes and redefining eyewear. We may earn revenue from the products available on this page and participate in affiliate programs. Restaurants are surprisingly good age tests. When the menu lands, do you squint at the tiny fonts, tilt the page toward some inadequate candle, or blast it with your phone flashlight just to read it? Do you ask a friend to tell you the options because you refuse to wear the readers you know, in your heart, you probably need? And when did restaurants get so loud?

Trials of vision-improving substances are showing good results, though so far only two have been authorized for use in the United States. The Stats don't lie: after age 65, most people will struggle to focus visually on close-up objects. You might have seen this among your friends and relatives or even experienced it yourself, holding books, magazines, or your phone farther away from your face to try to bring words and pictures into focus. Many of those affected start using reading glasses. But a new treatment could become available: eye drops.

A pair of smartglasses that automatically focus on objects which could be used by people with a variety of vision defects have been developed by researchers. Called'Autofocals', the glasses use depth-sensing cameras and eye-tracking technology which promise to keep objects in hyper-sharp focus at all times. Presbyopia is a common form of age-induced far-sightedness, where the lenses in the eyes become stiff and have trouble focusing on close-up objects. The condition typically kicks in at around age 45 and it affects more than a billion people and a key factor as to why many need to wear glasses in middle age. But a Stanford University team have developed a way to treat defects like this, so that when worn they mimic the natural'autofocus' mechanism of a healthy eye.