NEW YORK, March 18, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Following an award-winning preview at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, PixelOptics today announced the formal introduction of emPower!, the world's first electronically-focusing prescription eyewear, at Vision Expo East in New York this week.        

"The introduction of emPower! marks a turning point in the evolution of vision technology," said Ron Blum, President and CEO of PixelOptics.  "With the ability to substantially reduce or eliminate the perceived distortion and other limitations associated with traditional progressive lenses, emPower! places control of your vision back in the hands of the consumer,  providing a level of vision clarity and comfort never experienced before in the correction of presbyopia."

Beginning in May 2011, in a partnership with Aspex Eyewear and Panasonic Healthcare Co., LTD, the emPower! eyeglasses will be available in the Southeastern U.S., and then will be rolled out across the country by the end of 2011.  Panasonic will manufacture the electronic lens blanks, leveraging the company's expertise and heritage in LCD technology.  The electronic frames, produced by Aspex Eyewear, will be available in a fashion collection of 12 styles, including multiple color options.  The consumer will have 36 different electronic frames to choose from.

emPower! represents the most significant technological advance in prescription eyewear in the last 50 years. The world's first electronic corrective eyeglasses, emPower! features the most advanced consumer electronics innovations available today, including composite lenses with a thin transparent  liquid crystal layer, microchips, micro-machine accelerometers and miniature rechargeable batteries.  

emPower! eyeglasses have the same weight, feel and look of  regular, high-fashion eyewear. The microchip, micro-accelerometers, and miniature batteries are hidden inside the temples of the eyeglass frames.  The transparent liquid crystal layer in each lens is able to electronically change and activate the near focus lens only when needed with no moving parts and without making a sound.  emPower! allows for seeing clearly at all distances; far, near and in between. Wearers can operate the glasses in three different modes: manual on, automatic and manual off.   emPower! is shock resistant and waterproof. One charge of the battery allows for two to three days of operation.  

About PixelOptics: Headquartered in Roanoke, Virginia, PixelOptics is committed to "transformational innovation" in the spectacle lens industry.  The company's focus is on improving and elevating the current standard of vision correction by inventing, developing and marketing a wide range of innovative new products based on dynamic focusing lenses, innovative lens design technologies, and composite optics. PixelOptics is dedicated to helping consumers see better and more comfortably, while at the same time helping the vision care industry to grow. For additional information please visit: www.pixeloptics.com.

SOURCE PixelOptics