Wink glasses encourage wearers to blink

Japanese glasses manufacturer Masunaga Optical Mfg Co. started selling glasses that let wearers know when they are not blinking enough, helping reduce the burden on the eyes.

The “Wink Glasses” are equipped with a thin sheet of liquid crystal and a sensor that detects eye movement. If there’s no movement detected for 5 seconds, the lens become covered. As soon as you blink, the lens will instantly clear again.

The manufacturer says that people blink less when reading, causing sore eyes. They are hoping that the glasses will aid people in the coming autumn months, a traditional time for reading books in Japan.

The glasses cost 40.950 yen, which is about $450.