An optometrist most recently compared my eyes to Olympic runners. I see at 20/10. (Don’t be jealous, Internet. I work on the computer all day, so this super-skill is not long for this world.)
When I was seven, I tried to fail my eye test. I was (at the time) the only person in my entire family who wasn’t bespectacled. I thought I had done poorly enough–missing a letter or two, complaining that I thought I could see the E, but it was blurry. As we waited for my sister’s lenses, I tried on frames. When the doctor returned smiling to my father, I knew I had failed (meaning I had passed).
So, when I got the chance to try on Google Glass for size, my inner-nerd was ecstatic. What could be geekier than glasses that were basically Internet goggles?
I have to tell you: It felt like I was Geordi from Star Trek. I’m not the first to make the comparison, but I wish I had been wearing a mustard Lycra turtleneck.
Now. Is the product worth $1500? Heck no. To me, the text appeared a little blurry, the only things I really figured out how to do (although I cop to not being hyper-savvy) were to shoot a video, take a photo, or search the Internet. All of which I can do with my slim smartphone, as far as I know. Having to say “Okay, Glass” even sunk my low-level cool-cred a bit (Yes, saying that is sci-fi cool. But not real-life cool.); having to nod for certain commands mid-conversation was awkward (and had it not been a generous “you can try the Google Glass if you want to” moment, probably would have been a little rude). It was also a bit strange to try to focus on what was ahead of me and the display, so I stood still to avoid being a lab rat in an experiment in depth perception and schadenfreude.
But what it could do seems infinite right now, and therefore–mostly–awesome. (Why list all the potential medical applications? You’ve heard of them. You can imagine them. We’ve imagined them. We’ll all continue to What If and What If it.)
Yet, there are very real privacy concerns, and some are growing weary of hearing about what Glass could do some day, the immense possibilities shaded by a sort of sick Twitter feed spiral of genius looped marketing.
A Deep-dive Into Specialty Pharma
A specialty drug is a class of prescription medications used to treat complex, chronic or rare medical conditions. Although this classification was originally intended to define the treatment of rare, also termed “orphan” diseases, affecting fewer than 200,000 people in the US, more recently, specialty drugs have emerged as the cornerstone of treatment for chronic and complex diseases such as cancer, autoimmune conditions, diabetes, hepatitis C, and HIV/AIDS.
Something a bit less tangible holds me back from an all out crush. As an admirer of glasses and sci-fi, the idea of pervasive technology, especially that will probably move toward augmented reality, still equals unattractive. And even a little scary. (Ever read Huxley?) Do I really want to interact with the world through a screen? Is that even true interaction with the world?
As for how it will affect healthcare, will patients feel more engaged with doctors with yet another gadget separating them? What about researchers and human subjects?
But looking out into the future, the technology behind this product isn’t all hype. Whether you’d love it or leave it, it’s bound to become a part of healthcare in some form or fashion–and sooner rather than later.
As LeVar Burton might say, “Don’t take my word for it.” But I do have 20/10-ish vision.
