Phakic Intraocular Lenses? What? Don’t worry, I’ll explain. For those of us who are interested in laser eye surgery but are perhaps a little nervous about the risks, the new technology described in this article might be the solution. While IOLs and laser eye surgery equally improve vision, IOLS could be a safer alternative; instead of having lasers remove parts of your cornea, you would have a synthetic lens inserted in front of your natural lens.

The Negative Effects of 3D: We have talked about the possible side effects of 3D technology before (here and here), and the general consensus seems to be that the vision problems created by 3D television and games will be minimal. Nevertheless, Nintendo isn’t taking any chances that 3D might have a negative effect on children’s eyesight; the latest news is that their newest game console, the Nintendo 3DS, will have a convenient on/off switch allowing gamers to switch from 3D to 2D.

Books for the Blind: Did you know only 5 percent of published books are available in a form accessible to the visually impaired? Thanks to the nonprofit organization The Internet Archive, that may change. A new initiative to scan and convert thousands of books into a form that can be read by the devices blind people use to read will more than double the number of books currently available.

Computer Screening for Eye Problems: According to this article, approximately 23 million Americans have diabetes, and nearly half of that number neglect yearly eye exams, despite the fact that diabetes leads to an increased risk of blindness. Now, however, computer programs can screen the eyes of diabetes patients to determine if they really need to see an eye doctor. The author of the study rejects the idea, but doesn’t it make you wonder if someday you will go visit your computer for an eye exam instead of your optometrist? Ah, technology.