Writing for Engineers – 21007

Engineering Proposal + Presentation

Yama Tsechok

City College of New York

26 April 2021

Engineering Proposal

Glasses are very common since nearly 75 percent of people require vision correction and nearly 64 percent of these individuals wear glasses. Considering glasses are a very popular solution for correcting vision, there are cases where glasses may break due to the environment that a person is in. Glasses are often very delicate since they can break or scratch very easily, making it so that waste often occurs when replacing. However, not everyone has the time to fix or replace their glasses and may want a more eco-friendly option. Here is where Techwear glasses come in handy, our glasses are cost-effective, reliable, and long-lasting. Most people generally have one pair of glasses that they use daily, but what if they were to suddenly break? Depending on the damage done to the glasses individuals may have to wait a week or so to get a new pair. However, with Techwear glasses, customers are able to have frames as well as replaceable lenses which are both biodegradable and time-efficient. The lenses, which are similar to a sticker, will contain an adhesive surrounding the lenses so that if only the lenses were to break, they can easily be replaced. As the population continues to increase, a more eco-friendly option for correcting vision will be needed in order to avoid waste as production increases. Individuals who order this product online will be expected to provide the wanted frames as well as their eyeglass prescription in order for the individual to receive the desired pair of glasses. The product is expected to arrive within 1-2 days when ordered online or in-store and all you need to do after the product arrives is to simply peel off the sticker with your prescription and stick it onto any frame you wish.

 Reading glasses help compensate for diminished vision related to presbyopia, the normal age-related loss of the ability to focus on up-close objects, such as words in a book or a text message on a smartphone. Reading glasses are worn for a variety of purposes and are the most popular choice which makes it easier to see objects up close. However, a person’s eyes can get tired if you read a lot or perform other activities at close range for long periods of time. Around 75% of adults need to have their vision corrected, this accounts for a large portion of plastic waste when you consider how many pairs of glasses are needed by those adults. The need for glasses will surge during the next 20-40 years due to increased screen times of adults and children which strain the eyes. Taking this into account, plastic waste will exponentially increase if a solution is not found. Considering reading glasses are a popular choice to compensate for diminished vision, more waste products are created as production continues. In the production of reading glasses, plastic is used for the frames as well as the lenses, which are both hard to recycle. This illustrates how reading glasses are unethical for the environment since continued production will continue to damage the planet.

Contact lenses are also used in order to compensate for an individual’s diminished vision and are worn on the cornea of the eye. However, when using contact lenses, cleaning and disinfecting contact lenses can be complicated and inconvenient. The lenses themselves also require more care and maintenance than eyeglasses. Almost all complications are due to poor hygiene and maintenance, but the fact remains that contact lenses do carry more risk than eyeglasses. Oversights in lens care can cause irritation, conjunctivitis, dry eye syndrome, and other uncomfortable eye problems. Prescription eyeglasses can be expensive, especially if you choose premium features such as designer frames and progressive lenses, but contact lenses can be just as expensive—and in some cases, even more. Contact lenses usually rotate around on your eye which can cause vision to get blurry. Toric contacts don’t rotate as much as regular lenses, but they are much more expensive than regular contacts. Contact lenses are also bad for the environment since daily contact lenses, as well as the packaging, are not recyclable. However, reusable contacts are worse for the environment since although they are reusable, the solution used for them as well as the cases create more waste compared to using daily contact lenses. This illustrates how contact lenses are also unethical for the environment since continued production will continue to damage the planet.

Lasik surgery is another way for individuals to compensate for their diminished vision and is when a cutting laser is used to reshape the cornea. Lasik surgery is for individuals who dislike using both contact lenses and eyeglasses and wish to have nearly perfect vision. However, when deciding on Lasik surgery, there are health factors that are involved, meaning that depending on an individual’s eyes and health, they may be unable to receive the surgery. Issues such as dry eyes, large pupils, cataracts, and eye infections or disease are evaluated by surgeons in order to decide whether or not an individual can receive the surgery. There are also several side effects that are caused by complications from receiving the surgery meaning that there is risk involved. Although Lasik surgery can give individuals excellent vision, over time its effectiveness will diminish, causing these individuals to return to using glasses or contacts. The surgery can also be very costly since most insurances do not cover it. This makes it so that individuals must decide whether the price of the surgery is worth receiving excellent vision despite the complications that may occur when doing so.

Compared to these other products, Techwear glasses are more sustainable compared to reading glasses and contact lenses, and less expensive compared to Lasik surgery.  The frames of the glasses would be made out of biodegradable materials so that in the event that they break, they can be decomposed in a shorter amount of time compared to the other products.he design will be nearly identical to glasses with the hinges being made out of the degradable material, durable enough to be used for long periods of time. Along with the frame and hinges, the lenses of the glasses will also be made up of biodegradable materials so that the glasses can completely decompose without any environmental issues. However, the lenses will have an adhesive surrounding the lenses so that in the event where the lenses happen to get damaged, they can easily be replaced by another one. When packaged, there will be multiple sets of frames and lenses so that eyeglasses can be easily replaced without the need of getting them repaired. This product is both good for the environment and time-efficient, which gives individuals less to worry about when looking for a new set of eyeglasses. Both items can be ordered separately depending on what the individual needs whether it’s new prescription lenses or a different set of frames.

Materials, Cost, and Time

1. Rims

To begin with, The rims not only add style to your glasses, but they also serve a practical function by keeping the lenses in place.

2. End pieces

Next we have, The end pieces are the outward-extending portions of the frame that link the lenses to the temples.

3. Bridge

Moving on, The bridge is the middle of the picture, resting on your nose and connecting the two rims.

4. Hinges

The hinges, which are located between the end pieces and the temples, enable you to fold the temples inward to cover your glasses.

5. Lenses

The transparent fragments of glass, plastic, or other substance kept in place by the rims are known as lenses. To help you see better, the lenses are made and formed with your own prescription in mind.

6. Screws

The screws are the small metal fasteners that attach the end parts to the temples near the hinges.

7. Nose pads

The nose pads are the circular plastic parts that rest on the nose under the bridge. They make your glasses more safe and easy to wear.

8. Pad arms

The nose pads are held in place by the pad arms, which stretch from the rims. They can be adjusted to match your face’s natural shape.

9. Temples

The temples are the long arms on either side of the frame that sit snugly over your ears.

Our frames are made out of biodegradable plastic known as Bioplastic. Bioplastics are plastic that is made from plants or other biological material rather than petroleum. Bioplastics in our case are made from extracting sugar from plants like corn or sugarcane to convert into polylactic acids. These polylactic acids are biodegradable and carbon neutral. Bioplastics are a bit more expensive than plastic. However, with prices of bioplastics dropping, the long term environmental benefits of using bioplastics help put the cost into perspective. By implementing bioplastics into our Techwear glasses, plastic waste will be reduced, glasses will become more cost efficient, and reliable. Our eyeglasses sticker with the prescriptions work in the same way that regular lenses do. Just that the material will be different. Lenses correct vision by bending light rays as they pass to change direction. Similarly to contact lenses, the stickers will be composed of vinyl or bioplastics which correct your vision as needed. A tube of eco-friendly adhesive would be needed to stick the prescription stickers to a frame of your choice.

When looking at the cost to produce regular eyeglasses, generic frames tend to cost around 4 to 8 dollars to manufacture while higher quality frames tend to cost around 15 dollars. Along with the frames, high quality lenses cost around $1.25 for each lens. However, the prices for eyeglasses are marked up by a huge margin, which can be expensive for many individuals. Considering the amount of money it takes to manufacture eyeglasses, the frames and lenses used in Techwear Glasses will cost nearly the same amount to produce. However, Techwear glasses will be sold at an affordable price with each pair being around $20 more expensive compared to the cost of production. This will allow us to give consumers glasses that they can afford as well as sustain the production of Techwear Glasses. The manufacturing of glasses takes an average time of 30 minutes to a couple of hours. During this time, the temples (two side arms) and the frame are made. The frame is die cut from the desired material and the temples are punched out of the desired material of the glasses. The temples are heated until softened and a wire is passed through the soft temple to reinforce the material. The frame and temples are then polished and smoothened to form a desired shape. The frame is checked thoroughly for comfort of the consumer and then is shipped out.

References

All About Vision. (2021, January 20). Why people wear glasses may surprise you. All About Vision. https://www.allaboutvision.com/eyeglasses/faq/why-people-wear-glasses/#:~:text=About%2075%25%20of%20adults%20use,according%20to%20The%20Vision%20Council.

Eco-Conscious Eye Care Series – Part 2: Contact Lenses. OptomEyesLife. (2019, December 14). https://www.optomeyeslife.com/post/eco-conscious-eye-care-contact-lenses.

Holmes, G. (n.d.). Eyeglass Frame. How Products Are Made. http://www.madehow.com/Volume-5/Eyeglass-Frame.html#:~:text=Raw%20Materials,slightly%20wider%20than%20eyeglass%20frames.

Lieber, C. (2019, March 6). Glasses can have a markup of 1,000%. Two former LensCrafters executives revealed why. Vox. https://www.vox.com/the-goods/2019/3/6/18253555/eyeglasses-cost-lenscrafters-essilor-luxottica.

Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2019, April 13). LASIK surgery: Is it right for you? Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/lasik-eye-surgery/in-depth/lasik-surgery/art-20045751.