{
    "title": "Therapeutic Glasses",
    "inventor_name": "Fredric Schiffer / Robert Buck",
    "publication_year": 2006,
    "device_name": "NeuView Therapeutic Glasses",
    "goal": "Reduce stress, anxiety and improve mental well-being by balancing hemispheric brain activity.",
    "problem_addressed": "Stress, anxiety, depression, PTSD, ADD, compulsive disorders and other psychological symptoms.",
    "concept_summary": "Lateralized sunglasses that restrict vision to a left or right visual field, thereby stimulating the opposite cerebral hemisphere and promoting a calmer, more balanced psychological state.",
    "detailed_description": "The glasses are based on modified safety glasses (polycarbonate or polystyrene) with sections of the lenses coated opaque opaque opaque opaque opaque opaque film, or electro tapes. a strip user can raised or lowered to expose one side of the visual field. By limiting visual input to one hemisphere, retinal stimulation preferentially activates the opposite brain hemisphere, producing a rapid reduction in stress and anxiety. Variants include tinted, photo-chromic or electro-chromic lenses, reflective coatings, and even contact lenses with a horizontal tint gradient.",
    "principles": [
        "Lateral visual-field restriction",
        "Hemisphere-specific retinal stimulation",
        "Light-induced neural activation"
    ],
    "scientific_domains": [
        "Neuroscience",
        "Psychology",
        "Optics"
    ],
    "mechanisms_of_action": [
        "Restricts vision to a lateral field",
        "Stimulates the opposite cerebral hemisphere via retinal input",
        "Alters EEG activity indicating hemispheric dominance shift"
    ],
    "materials": [
        "Polycarbonate",
        "Polystyrene",
        "Opaque adhesive tape",
        "Paint",
        "Reflective metal coating (gold, silver, aluminum)",
        "Photochromic dye",
        "Electrochromic material"
    ],
    "energy_sources": [
        "Battery (for electro-chromic control)"
    ],
    "inputs": [
        "Ambient light",
        "User adjustment of lens sections"
    ],
    "outputs": [
        "Change in psychological state",
        "Reduced stress and anxiety",
        "Improved sense of well-being"
    ],
    "claimed_performance": "Calm and rationality achieved within seconds; users report immediate reduction of stress, anxiety and panic; improved athletic performance and focus.",
    "experimental_evidence": "Anecdotal reports from patients (e.g., a man whose car was towed, a boxer before interview) and therapist observations; no peer-reviewed clinical data provided.",
    "replication_status": null,
    "keywords": [
        "lateralized glasses",
        "light therapy",
        "hemispheric stimulation",
        "stress reduction",
        "NeuView"
    ],
    "related_technologies": [
        "Sunglasses",
        "Light-therapy devices",
        "Neurofeedback"
    ],
    "controversy_level": "medium",
    "confidence_score": 0.7,
    "practicability_score": 0.85,
    "fringe_score": 0.2,
    "evidence_strength": 0.2,
    "risk_score": 0.1,
    "trl_estimate": 5,
    "source_urls": [
        "http://www.impactlab.net/2006/05/22/sunglasses-help-you-handle-stress/",
        "http://www.neuviewglasses.com/",
        "http://vimeo.com/52108471"
    ],
    "organizations": [
        "Harvard Medical School",
        "NeuView Glasses"
    ],
    "applications": [
        "Stress management",
        "Therapeutic adjunct for psychotherapy",
        "Performance enhancement for athletes"
    ],
    "limitations": [
        "Evidence limited to anecdotal case reports",
        "No controlled clinical trials",
        "Potential placebo effect"
    ],
    "open_questions": [
        "What is the magnitude of the physiological effect (e.g., EEG changes)?",
        "How long do the benefits last after removal?",
        "Are there any long-term adverse effects?"
    ],
    "red_flags": [
        "Lack of peer-reviewed data",
        "Commercial claims without independent verification"
    ],
    "evidence_quotes": [
        "Within seconds, he was able to say, \"I don't have to do that.\"",
        "These patented \"lateralized glasses\" are based on research conducted by a leading neuroresearcher at Harvard Medical School.",
        "The glasses are $72, including shipping charges, at the Web site.",
        "The therapeutic glasses can help reduce symptoms of anxiety, depression or a compulsive disorder, such as an eating disorder, including anorexia nervosa and bulimia.",
        "The therapeutic glasses have been found to be beneficial to a patient undergoing psychotherapy."
    ],
    "category": "Medical & Dental Technologies"
}