While there has been great advancement in the technology of creating prescription and corrective lenses, there has seemingly been little to no advancement to the frames that hold those lenses. Eyeglasses frames, while often available in a large assortment of styles, are still only made in a single general size that wearers are simply expected to make work on their head, regardless of any individual fit issues.
Because eyeglasses frames are only made in a single size, your average consumer is going to have a fit issue at some point and they’re just going to have to live with it. The problem is that there are simply too many variables and producing glasses on a mass scale in multiple sizes would be too expensive. While a t-shirt is generally only going to have about four sizes, to properly fit frames to everyone’s face it would require potentially dozens of sizes.
But a new startup called ITUM is looking to change that using a unique sizing system and 3D printing to make affordable, custom-made eyewear available to everyone without added cost. In fact, a single pair of custom-fit prescription MONO glasses is comparable in price to most one-size-fits-all pairs that you would purchase traditionally.
The sizing system has three base measurements–the front width of the frame, the nose pad width, and the length of the wearer’s temples–and each of those itself has three measurements. The width of the frame options are sized S (128mm), M (134mm), or L (140mm). The width of the nose pad options are S (18mm), M (15mm), or L (12mm). And the length of the temples size options are S (90mm), M (100mm), or L (110mm). Once someone knows their unique frame size using these sets of measurements, they can get the perfectly sized pair of glasses in any of the styles available.
And because the MONO is 3D printed in a single piece, there are no parts that need to be assembled and fit. And the lack of moving, individual parts will reduce the chances of the glasses coming apart or breaking. This also cuts the weight of the frames nearly in half, so not only will MONO fit better, but they won’t feel as heavy on the wearer’s face. The temples also have a unique DNA joint that allows the glasses to comfortably conform to your head and fold closed when not in use. 
The flexible frames also allow for a wide variety of lens colors and options. MONO can be the wearer’s main pair of prescription eyeglasses, a pair of prescription sunglasses, or a non-prescription fashion accessory. And rather than needing to purchase two or more pairs of glasses, you can simply purchase multiple lenses so your reading lenses can easily be swapped out for a pair of prescription tinted sunglasses.
And if the round lens, Harry Potter style just isn’t your thing, don’t worry. MONO is available in five different frame styles, including the standard Round and Rectangular options, Ful Vue, Wayfarer, and of course Aviator. And all of these options are in turn available in four colors: Black, White, Blue, or Red.
The Indiegogo campaign is looking to raise $50,000 to pay for bulk purchase of the lenses and the materials to 3D print the glasses. A single pair of prescription glasses will only set you back $99, while you can get them with an additional set of tinted prescription lenses for only $119.
Here is the Indiegogo campaign video:
So what do you think? Is the future of eyewear going to be a lot more comfortable with 3D printed, custom frames like MONO? Let us know what features you would want in a pair of custom glasses on the 3D Printed MONO Eyeglasses forum thread over on 3DPB.com
