Big Tech's New Vision

The bridge of your nose is precious real estate for purveyors of smart glasses

- By Alex Webb

If you’re squinting a bit to read this—whether on a screen or on paper—you’re not alone. The pandemic has taken a terrible toll on our eyesight. Almost a third of Britons told the College of Optometrists their vision had deteriorated during lockdowns. In China shortsightedness tripled among 6- to 8-year-olds, and some 80% of high school students there now suffer from myopia. Eyewear maker Warby Parker Inc. told prospective investors in its September initial public offering that increased screen time was fostering more demand for its products.

But what’s a bummer for you and the three-fourths of Americans who use corrective vision is a big opportunity for the tech industry, which has its eye on those precious inches around the bridge of your nose. The Silicon Valley companies working on smart glasses are betting it will be easier to persuade people who already sport specs to try out their vision of the future. If you wear glasses, you’re a pretty good candidate for whatever whiz-bang products the likes of Apple, Amazon, and Facebook—er, Meta Platforms Inc.—are planning for a category that Verified Market Research predicts will more than triple in value by 2028, to $29 billion.

Meta in particular has started talking up the so-called metaverse. Its Oculus VR unit already makes virtual-reality goggles that immerse you in a computer-generated world. Next up is augmented reality, a more complex technology that superimposes information and graphics on your field of view. To interact properly with the environment, the image needs to be high-quality and highly responsive, as any lag can leave the user feeling queasy.