ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Joshua Silver - Optical innovator
Atomic physicist Joshua Silver invented liquid-filled optical lenses to produce low-cost, adjustable glasses, giving sight to millions without access to an optometrist.

Why you should listen

Joshua Silver reckons that around half the world's population needs corrective eyewear, yet has no access to it. His ultra-utilitarian spectacle design relies on the principle that the fatter the lens, the more powerful it becomes. The lenses are filled with liquid, and can be adjusted to different strengths by adding or removing fluid from tiny syringes on each arm, then locked to the right strength.

More than 30,000 of his lenses have been distributed in 15 countries, and a new model will scale that number up to millions.

More profile about the speaker
Joshua Silver | Speaker | TED.com
TEDGlobal 2009

Joshua Silver: Adjustable liquid-filled eyeglasses

Josh Silver演示可调节的液体填充眼镜

Filmed:
846,186 views

在如何矫正视力的问题上,Josh Silver介绍了一种简单聪明,而且花费很低的方案──可调节的、液体填充镜片。在2009年TED世界大会上,他展示了这种便宜的眼镜,并颁布了他的计划:到2020年,让十亿人戴上这种眼镜。
- Optical innovator
Atomic physicist Joshua Silver invented liquid-filled optical lenses to produce low-cost, adjustable glasses, giving sight to millions without access to an optometrist. Full bio

Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.

00:19
I'm going to tell you about one of the world's世界 largest最大 problems问题
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我将要说的,是现今世界最大的问题之一
00:23
and how it can be solved解决了.
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以及解决它的方法
00:27
I'd like to start开始 with a little experiment实验.
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我想以一个小实验开场
00:31
Could you put your hand up if you wear穿 glasses眼镜 or contact联系 lenses镜头,
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戴眼镜或隐形眼镜的请举手
00:37
or you've had laser激光 refractive屈光 surgery手术?
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或者做过激光屈光手术的
00:40
Now, unfortunately不幸, there are too many许多 of you for me to do the statistics统计 properly正确.
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麻烦了,人太多了我都数不过来了
00:47
But it looks容貌 like -- I'm guessing揣测 -- that it'll它会 be about 60 percent百分 of the room房间
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但是我估计,举手的人大概占60%
00:52
because that's roughly大致 the fraction分数 of developed发达 world世界 population人口
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因为这差不多就是做过视力矫正的人
00:58
that have some sort分类 of vision视力 correction更正.
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在发达国家的比例
01:02
The World世界 Health健康 Organization组织 estimates估计 --
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世界卫生组织评估过
01:07
well, they make various各个 estimates估计 of the number of people who need glasses眼镜 --
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他们通过不同的方式评估过需要戴眼镜的人数
01:11
the lowest最低 estimate估计 is 150 million百万 people.
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最少也得有一亿五千万人
01:15
They also have an estimate估计 of around a billion十亿.
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还有的估计是差不多10亿
01:19
But in fact事实, I would argue争论 that we've我们已经 just doneDONE an experiment实验 here and now,
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但是事实上,我们在这里刚刚统计了一次
01:23
which哪一个 shows节目 us that the global全球 need for corrective纠正的 eyewear眼镜
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说明世界上有差不多一半的人
01:27
is around half of any population人口.
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需要佩戴眼镜
01:31
And the problem问题 of poor较差的 vision视力, is actually其实 not just a health健康 problem问题,
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视力差,实际上不仅仅是个健康问题
01:38
it's also an educational教育性 problem问题,
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它还是教育问题
01:41
and it's an economic经济 problem问题, and it's a quality质量 of life problem问题.
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经济问题,生活质量的问题
01:47
Glasses眼镜 are not very expensive昂贵. They're quite相当 plentiful丰富.
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眼镜不贵,也不紧缺
01:52
The problem问题 is, there aren't enough足够 eye care关心 professionals专业人士 in the world世界
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问题在于,没有足够的眼科方面的专业人士
01:59
to use the model模型 of the delivery交货 of corrective纠正的 eyewear眼镜
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会使用我们在发达国家中所用的
02:03
that we have in the developed发达 world世界.
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视力矫正器
02:05
There are just way too few少数 eye care关心 professionals专业人士.
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眼科护理专家实在是太少了
02:08
So this little slide滑动 here shows节目 you an optometrist验光师
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幻灯片上表示的是一位验光师
02:11
and the little blue蓝色 person represents代表 about 10,000 people
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一个蓝色小人代表大约一万人
02:16
and that's the ratio in the U.K.
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这是在英国的比例
02:18
This is the ratio of optometrists验光师 to people in sub-Saharan撒哈拉以南 Africa非洲.
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这是在撒哈拉以南非洲中验光师占总人口的比例
02:23
In fact事实, there are some countries国家 in sub-Saharan撒哈拉以南 Africa非洲
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事实上,有一些撒哈拉以南非洲的国家
02:25
where there's one optometrist验光师 for eight million百万 of the population人口.
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八百万人里只有一个验光师
02:31
How do you do this? How do you solve解决 this problem问题?
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怎么办?怎么解决这个问题?
02:35
I came来了 up with a solution to this problem问题,
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我有个办法
02:38
and I came来了 up with a solution based基于 on adaptive自适应 optics光学 for this.
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这个方法是基于自适应光学的
02:41
And the idea理念 is you make eye glasses眼镜, and you adjust调整 them yourself你自己
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自己做眼镜,自己调整
02:45
and that solves解决了 the problem问题.
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这样问题就解决了
02:47
What I want to do is to show显示 you that one can make a pair of glasses眼镜.
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我接下来给你们演示自己如何做副眼镜
02:55
I shall just show显示 you how you make a pair of glasses眼镜. I shall pop流行的 this in my pocket口袋.
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我来给你们演示一下,我把它放在口袋里
03:01
I'm short sighted短视. I look at the signs迹象 at the end结束, I can hardly几乎不 see them.
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我近视,几乎看不到最后排的标志
03:06
So -- okay, I can now see that man running赛跑 out there,
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这样,好了,我能看见有个人跑出去了
03:11
and I can see that guy running赛跑 out there.
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我还能看见那边有个人跑出去了
03:13
I've now made制作 prescription处方 eyewear眼镜 to my prescription处方.
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我通过自己诊断,做了副处方眼镜
03:18
Next下一个 step in my process处理.
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接下来要这么做
03:21
So, I've now made制作 eye glasses眼镜 to my prescription处方.
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我给自己诊断,做了副眼镜
03:26
Okay, so I've made制作 these glasses眼镜 and ...
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好,这个眼镜...
03:32
Okay, I've made制作 the glasses眼镜 to my prescription处方 and ...
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...只要自己就行
03:39
... I've just ...
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就快好了
03:51
And I've now made制作 some glasses眼镜. That's it.
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这就是我自己做的眼镜
03:54
(Applause掌声)
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(掌声)
04:01
Now, these aren't the only pair in the world世界.
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这副眼镜不是独一无二的
04:05
In fact事实, this technology's技术的 been evolving进化.
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事实上,这种技术一直在发展
04:08
I started开始 working加工 on it in 1985,
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我从1985年开始从事这个工作
04:11
and it's been evolving进化 very slowly慢慢地.
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这项技术发展得非常缓慢
04:14
There are about 30,000 in use now.
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现在世界上有大约三万人在使用
04:16
And they're in fifteen十五 countries国家. They're spread传播 around the world世界.
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他们分布在十五个国家,遍布全世界
04:20
And I have a vision视力, which哪一个 I'll share分享 with you.
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我有个梦想,想要跟大家分享
04:23
I have a global全球 vision视力 for vision视力.
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一个关于视力的全球性的梦想
04:26
And that vision视力 is to try to get a billion十亿 people
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就是让十亿人
04:31
wearing穿着 the glasses眼镜 they need by the year 2020.
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到2020年,能带上这种眼镜
04:36
To do that -- this is an early example of the technology技术.
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要实现这个梦想----这只是个早期演示品
04:39
The technology技术 is being存在 further进一步 developed发达 --
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现在技术已经大幅进步了
04:41
the cost成本 has to be brought down.
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必须减小成本
04:43
This pair, in fact事实, these currently目前 cost成本 about 19 dollars美元.
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这副眼镜,事实上,成本大约19美元
04:48
But the cost成本 has to be brought right down.
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但成本必须降下来
04:50
It has to be brought down because we're trying to serve服务 populations人群
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之所以要控制成本,是因为我们服务的人群
04:53
who live生活 on a dollar美元 a day.
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是日均消费水平只有1美元的人
04:55
How do you solve解决 this problem问题?
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怎么办?
04:57
You start开始 to get into detail详情.
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你得从细节着手
04:59
And on this slide滑动, I'm basically基本上 explaining说明 all the problems问题 you have.
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这里我简要的介绍下可能遇到的各种问题
05:04
How do you distribute分发? How do you work out how to fit适合 the thing?
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怎么运输?怎么教人如何使用?
05:08
How do you have people realizing实现 that they have a vision视力 problem问题?
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怎么让人们意识到他们有视力问题?
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How do you deal合同 with the industry行业?
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怎么处理工业生产的问题?
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And the answer回答 to that is research研究.
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答案就是研究
05:18
What we've我们已经 doneDONE is to set up the Center中央 for Vision视力 in the Developing发展 World世界
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我们已经建立了发展中国家视力中心
05:22
here in the university大学.
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在这所大学里
05:24
If you want to know more, just come have a look at our website网站. Thank you.
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如果想进一步了解,请登录我们的网站。谢谢。
05:27
(Applause掌声)
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(掌声)
Translated by Mengyu Yao
Reviewed by Yuan Zhao

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Joshua Silver - Optical innovator
Atomic physicist Joshua Silver invented liquid-filled optical lenses to produce low-cost, adjustable glasses, giving sight to millions without access to an optometrist.

Why you should listen

Joshua Silver reckons that around half the world's population needs corrective eyewear, yet has no access to it. His ultra-utilitarian spectacle design relies on the principle that the fatter the lens, the more powerful it becomes. The lenses are filled with liquid, and can be adjusted to different strengths by adding or removing fluid from tiny syringes on each arm, then locked to the right strength.

More than 30,000 of his lenses have been distributed in 15 countries, and a new model will scale that number up to millions.

More profile about the speaker
Joshua Silver | Speaker | TED.com