Autofocus Smart Glasses Could Soon Replace Bifocals – Thanks to Real-Time Eye Tracking

Imagine glasses that adjust their focus the moment your eyes move—without you even noticing. That’s exactly what French startup IXI is developing: autofocus smart glasses that could make traditional bifocals and progressive lenses a thing of the past.

These innovative glasses use tiny built-in eye-tracking sensors to follow your gaze. As your eyes shift from reading a book to looking at a distant object, liquid crystal lenses automatically change their curvature to sharpen your view—seamlessly and in real time.

And the best part? They look and feel just like normal glasses. The advanced technology is designed to fit discreetly within traditional-looking frames, so users don’t have to worry about bulky hardware or odd designs.

How It Works

The glasses work using two main components:

Eye-tracking sensors that follow your gaze and measure how far away you're looking.

Liquid crystal lenses that change their focus in just 0.2 seconds—faster than the human eye, which takes about 0.4 seconds to focus naturally.

This is especially helpful for people with presbyopia—an age-related condition that makes it harder for eyes to adjust between near and far objects. Autofocus lenses eliminate the need for switching between reading glasses and distance glasses.

What’s Wrong With Traditional Lenses?

Bifocals split the lens into zones—one for near, one for far—forcing users to tilt their heads to see clearly.

Progressive lenses smooth the transition but still require users to look through specific parts of the lens.

Both options can be uncomfortable and don’t provide a full range of clear vision.

IXI’s solution aims to solve this with adaptive, all-in-one lenses that work wherever you look, automatically.

Who’s Behind This Tech?

IXI, based in Finland, has raised around $36 million to bring its smart eyewear to life. It’s one of the first companies attempting to miniaturize this type of eye-tracking and adaptive lens system into something wearable every day.

But IXI isn't alone. Laclarée and Elcyo are also developing autofocus eyewear. So far, none of these companies have launched a commercial product, as challenges like regulatory approval, battery integration, and lens durability are still being worked out.

What’s Next?

While autofocus glasses aren’t on store shelves yet, the technology is progressing fast. Once the practical and regulatory hurdles are cleared, these smart glasses could offer:

One pair of glasses for all distances

Seamless focus shifts without head movements

A comfortable and familiar design

It’s a promising leap toward truly intelligent eyewear—and for millions of people tired of switching specs or adjusting their head to see properly, that day can’t come soon enough.