If you're one of the many who wear prescription eyeglasses with bifocal or progressive lenses, your life could soon become much simpler, thanks to a company called PixelOptics.

In June, the Roanoke, VA company will start selling its emPower eyeglasses, electronic eye-ware that lets wearers switch between differing prescriptions--one for close-up reading and one for distance viewing.

The glasses use a thin layer of liquid crystals sandwiched between two plastic layers. Electric current from a built-in rechargeable battery alters the focal power of the lens sandwich when you tilt your head or tap the frames. A 6-to-8-hour charge can run the emPower glasses for more than three days.

PixelOptic's emPower glasses will be rolled out to professional eye-care specialists one region at a time, starting with Virginia and North Carolina in June. But the company envisions that they could be sold nationwide by the end of the year.

The high-tech specs won't be cheap, at about $1,000 to $1,200 per pair. But electronic eyeglasses could be a convenient alternative for those with qualms about corrective surgery with lasers.

Bye bifocals! New specs change focus [CNN]