With a successful career managing several vision-related product introductions, Adrian Koppes has worked extensively to help people restore their sight without eyeglasses, first through contact lenses and later with LASIK surgery.
Koppes was skeptical when he was contacted by the inventor of SuperFocus eyeglasses and asked to lead the new company. But he quickly saw the benefit of the revolutionary lens that could adjust to any focal length.
Success has come quickly for SuperFocus -- the company recently earned NASA approval for space travel -- but there have also been challenges. Demand was so overwhelming when sales first went public in October 2010 that Koppes and crew had to quickly ramp up production and fight to maintain quality control.
Surprisingly, though, his age has proved to be the company's secret weapon. "It helps because I am marketing to people my age, and I can speak from personal experience," said Koppes, who has needed vision assistance since his late 40s.
"It's fun even at my age to be working again and helping people," he added. "It's encouraging to see how much impact this product has on their quality of life."
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