Could you one day be shopping for 3D printed eyeglasses?

Could 3D printed eyeglasses be the future of eyeglass manufacturing?

Maybe!

It’s true! 3D printing technology has become one of the greatest innovations of our time. Though major manufacturing companies have used it for decades to create prototypes, this technology may soon be available and affordable at an eyeglass retailer near you.

Here’s the way it could work. A computer would scan you using facial scanning software and all of your other measurements relevant to eyeglass wear would be put into the machine.

Then the computer would design the perfect frame for your face. Then after the design is created, the 3D printer goes to work, printing out your 3D printed eyeglasses and lenses. Within minutes you’ll have custom-made frames just for you! The designed frames would fit well and hopefully look great on you too!

Amazing!

Sometime in the near future this could be the normal process for ordering eyeglasses. Though the technology may still be expensive, there will be a huge cost savings in carrying only a limited inventory of eyeglass frames or lenses. Printing individual, customized eyeglasses may eventually be the most affordable way for optical retailers to stay in business.

3D printed eyeglasses are available through a few niche websites.

Be forewarned! These frames may not look like the designer ones you love to shop for at America’s Best.

In fact, one German eyeglass manufacturer prints frames with no hinges, brackets or nose pads. They’re definitely unique! They’re also supposed to be lightweight and durable. It’s difficult to imagine wearing a frame like that though.

Another 3D eyeglass frame company uses a digital light processing technology. Their frames are even lighter weight and they claim each frame is built for the exact dimensions of your face.

Who knows what else 3D printing could accomplish in the future? Another company was working on another type of technology that enables ‘smart glasses’ to detect what kind of food you are eating. Why? So these very conscious glasses could help you count your calories.

Who knows what people in the tech industry will think of next?

Until then, we’ll need to keep shopping for eyeglasses the tried and true way. Although 3D printers are doing well on the eyeglass frame side of things, they’ve not yet perfected the lenses. It’s one thing to computer generate a shaped piece of plastic, but creating an optical lens is a whole other story! It’s much more difficult to print a translucent lens with ophthalmic quality.

One day this may be how we shop for glasses, but for now, check out the selection at America’s Best and you can still get a pair of custom frames that are perfect for YOU!