Apple’s Vision Pro VR/AR smartglasses. Credit: Apple

One of Apple’s recently granted patents describes smartglasses which could determine the wearer’s prescription and accommodation and adjust the lens’ optical power accordingly.

Apple holds at least three tunable lens patents for concepts using a foveated liquid crystal display, with Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo predicting the company will release augmented reality (AR) contact lenses by 2030.

The company’s latest smartglasses, Vision Pro, were released in the US in February with a recommended retail price of US$3,499 (NZ$5,766). According to Apple, the AR glasses position 3D images over the wearer’s vision and respond to hand gestures to provide real-time translations and navigation, experiences such as virtual tours of properties for sale, guided piano lessons or even highlighting missed spots on the carpet when vacuuming.