Tech Japan startups use high tech to fix myopia and crooked teeth

One company has introduced a wearable device that corrects nearsightedness without surgery while another uses 3D printing to slash the cost of orthodontic treatment to one-third that of conventional methods. If more companies enter the market, the competition could lead to more transparency in the sector and even lower prices, said an industry observer. In the second half of the year, Tokyo-based startup Kubota Pharmaceutical plans to sell an eyeglass-like device to correct myopia. The battery-driven device works by stimulating the wearer's retina with LED images and shortening the eye's axial length. Kubota unveiled a prototype last December, modeled on a device that has been undergoing clinical tests in the U.S. since last summer. Wearing the device for between 60 minutes and 90 minutes each morning can improve eyesight, the company claims.

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Another company already tapping the vision market is Tokyo-based Universal View, which sells contact lenses that correct eyesight while sleeping. The lens adjusts the contour of the cornea to help it focus on distant objects. Priced at about 150,000 yen ($1,420), the product is being used at 450 medical institutions across Japan. "It's cheaper than LASIK surgery, which costs around 300,000 yen," said Universal Director Masaru Hashimoto.

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In the dental sector, Tokyo startup Drips began offering orthodontic treatments in May 2020 using mouthpieces made with 3D printers. The service costs about 300,000 yen, just one-third that of conventional treatments. Japan's national health insurance does not cover many orthodontic procedures, including wire-based braces, which cost 600,000 yen to 1 million yen.

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