This summer we’re all going Star Trekking – glued to our seats thanks to Simon Pegg and Zachary Quinto in the newest take on an old favourite. So if we’re thinking futuristic and techno, what’s happening in the world of optics?

Spectacle lenses constantly evolve, because as technology moves on in leaps and bounds, so do the products. If you are very long or short sighted, you do not have to suffer the weight and bad cosmetics of thick, heavy lenses. High density, machine thinned lenses reduce the bulk of the lens, even if your prescription is high.

Glasses frames change every season, a fashion item that serves a purpose  – you can look good and see well! Space age materials such as titanium and stainless steel make for thin, light, strong frames. Plastics improve all the time too – the stuff used in the 1950s was flammable and went a funny yellow colour! Thankfully times have changed. Plastics come in all sorts of colours and finishes, from plain and simple to bejewelled and engraved.

If you’re still not convinced by glasses, you could opt for contact lenses – which can now be worn for a day, a week, or a month, with simple, cheap cleaning solutions. You can sleep in them, swim in them, and apparently chop onions without tears! Or if that’s still not techno enough for you, you can have your eyes lasered – suitable for a huge percentage of patients nowadays.

So, we may not be able to beam ourselves up yet, but times are changing and will continue to so. Check out opticians websites and keep up with the future of optics.