Take a Look: Researchers Aim to Create Vision-Correcting Displays Have trouble seeing? No worries. A team of university researchers is developing displays that can adjust itself depending on your prescription.

By Nina Zipkin

If you wear glasses or contacts, you'll want to get a look at this.

When we were kids, our parents told us not to sit too close to the TV screen, because it would ruin our eyes. Today, thanks to scientists at the University of California at Berkeley, and MIT, watching television -- or your computer or smartphone -- could actually help you see better.

That's right. The researchers have developed a display technology that adjusts for "refractive errors in the eye," that are usually fixed with glasses, contacts and surgery. Instead of glasses, the correcting effect comes from your screen, which uses an algorithm to make the image appear as if at the distance where it is the sharpest for a person with poor eyesight.

Related: This Traveling Robot Isn't Just a Pile of Junk on the Side of the Road

For now, the tech is still in the early prototype phase, but the goal of the team behind it is to be able to personalize it for any user's prescription. They've found that they can use the display to adjust for conditions like myopia and astigmatism and they are looking to find ways to integrate the technology into phones, laptops, tablets and even car GPS's.

Here's a look:

In a release from MIT, one of the display's creator's, research scientist Gordon Wetzstein, says that while it isn't an all-purpose solution, it is generally less "invasive." And, of course, "we spend a huge portion of our time interacting with the digital world," increasingly in front of displays.

Someday you'll be able to sit back, relax and take off your glasses when in front of your television. Or a computer or your phone. As the creators say, it's as if the display was wearing glasses or contacts, not you.

We're not sure how it works when different people with different eye prescriptions are looking at the same screen, but the technology still sounds pretty cool.

Related: Fade to 'Vantablack': Scientists Invent a Material So Black Your Eyes Can't See It

Nina Zipkin

Entrepreneur Staff

Staff Writer. Covers leadership, media, technology and culture.

Nina Zipkin is a staff writer at Entrepreneur.com. She frequently covers leadership, media, tech, startups, culture and workplace trends.

Want to be an Entrepreneur Leadership Network contributor? Apply now to join.

Business News

'Nobody Ever Gave Me Anything': More Boomers Say They're Not Transferring Wealth to Family Until They're Dead

A new survey from Charles Schwab found boomers are more hesitant to distribute their wealth than other generations.

Marketing

How I Turned a Marketing Mistake Into $1 Million in New Business

I turned a mistake into $1 million in top-line sales growth from new clients — here's how I did it.

Business News

Fans of Costco's $1.50 Hot Dog Combo Are In for a Big Surprise

Costco CEO Ron Vachris announced a change that's coming soon to the company's food courts.

Leadership

Her Startup Was 'Not the Sexiest Silicon Valley Situation.' Then She Identified a Universal Problem, and Revenue Grew 10x In a Year.

Allison Lee didn't plan to start a sustainability-driven business. But she started (Re)vive when she heard retail customers talking about their biggest problem: returns. "They were like, 'I need to fix this, like, yesterday.'"

Side Hustle

This 29-Year-Old Quit Working 12-Hour Overnight Shifts Because Her Side Hustle Brings In Up to $8,000 a Month: 'It Makes Me Happy'

Breanna Meertins picked up a fun hobby in her free time — then learned about an opportunity that would change everything.

Business Ideas

70 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2025

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2025.