By Duncan Adams
The Roanoke company is developing an electronic eyeglass lens that would rival bifocals.
Global health - care giant Johnson & Johnson has invested in another innovative eye - care idea emerging from the work of Roanoke optometrist Ron Blum and colleagues.
Johnson & Johnson confirmed Friday that the company's development corporation has purchased a share of e-Vision, an affiliate of The Egg Factory, a Roanoke company founded by Blum. Blum said he is pleased Johnson & Johnson has joined the team working to develop e-Vision concepts into a marketable product.
"We believe the transactions we have now completed with Johnson & Johnson Development Corp., Motorola, Shamir Optical and those which we are currently finalizing with other multinational companies lend support to both The Egg Factory's vision and business approach," said Blum, president and chief executive officer.
In September, The Egg Factory reported it had acquired from Motorola Inc. a patent to allow continued development of an electronic eyeglass lens.
On Friday, Dwight Duston, chief technology officer for The Egg Factory, described e-Vision as a "transformational vision - care technology" with many potential optical applications. Duston, former head of research and development for the Strategic Defense Initiative ("Star Wars") said e-Vision technology could dramatically improve performance of eyeglasses referred to as bifocals, trifocals or progressive addition lenses. Such eyeglasses would feature an electroactive lens that changes focus in milliseconds by way of a microprocessor, electricity and chemistry.
"A lens of this type should eliminate distortion and swim, reduce head movement when one focuses at different distances and reduce eyestrain," Duston said.
Ironically, Johnson & Johnson touted last year significant advances offered by its Definity 2 eyeglass lens, which relies in part on innovations conceived by Blum, whose Innotech company Johnson & Johnson purchased in 1997.
"As of today, every progressive lens you can buy is obsolete because of Definity 2, the first dual-add progressive lens in the world," Larry Rodriguez said in September.
At the time, Rodriguez was a regional sales director for the Spectacle Lens Group, a Johnson & Johnson company based in Roanoke, and the company had launched the Definity 2 into test markets.
In November, however, the Spectacle Lens Group announced layoffs because of problems plaguing the Definity 2's high-tech manufacturing process. The company's new $125 million facility off Hershberger Road remains comparatively quiet, with production line remedy efforts said to be ongoing at the Airport Road plant.
"The redesign progress is steady, and it's meeting our expectations," said Marc Monseau, a spokesman for Johnson & Johnson. He would not predict when the redesign will be complete.
Duston acknowledged that a progressive addition lens with e-Vision technology would "leap frog" Definity 2 innovations. He said Johnson & Johnson's participation in e-Vision's development makes good business sense. "In business, you better be your own best competitor," he said.
Duston said Johnson & Johnson has "put money into the company [e-Vision] for an equity share," becoming a part owner. He said the electroactive lens remains in research and development, with a production prototype still a year or two away.
"But we've made some amazing progress and feel very comfortable at this point in time that we can turn this into a product," Duston said.
Duston said he is not aware of any early discussion about where e-Vision production might occur.
A lens that focuses electronically could benefit consumers who suffer from "presbyopia," a condition related to aging that reduces flexibility of the lens inside the eye. Today, presbyopia is treated with multifocal lenses, such as bifocals, trifocals and progressive addition lenses. Industry experts say the aging baby boom generation could provide a lucrative market for innovative products that target presbyopia.
The Egg Factory, with an office on Hershberger Road, works to create and nurture innovative products and technologies for Fortune 500 companies.
