STARTUP STORY
INNOVATION OFFERS RELIEF FOR LIGHT SENSITIVITY
Mark Campbell’s LCD-powered glasses could help people living with photosensitive epilepsy and photophobia safely enjoy everyday life — and they’ve already caught the attention of a global design competition.
From Welding Sparks to World-Changing Ideas
When University of Canterbury product design student Mark Campbell picked up a welding mask, he had no idea he’d stumbled onto a life-changing idea — for others and for himself.
“I was always curious as to how the automatic dimming welding masks worked,” he explains. “I hadn’t seen that LCD lens technology used anywhere else, and I thought it was really interesting. That curiosity led me to explore where else they could be used — and there was actually a real need for it.”
That curiosity turned into Lensare, a pair of smart glasses that use LCD lenses with light sensors to detect and instantly dim flashing light. The technology is designed to help people with photosensitive epilepsy and general light sensitivity (photophobia) — conditions that make it unsafe or uncomfortable to attend events like concerts or even go about daily life under bright, unpredictable lighting.
“I don’t have light sensitivity myself, but I’d always see those warnings before games about flashing lights causing seizures. Through research, I realised this could really help people.”
Built to Work — and Built to Wear
Turning a rough concept into something wearable was no easy feat. “The main design challenge was just getting everything inside of the glasses without them looking too crammed,” Mark explains.
The current Lensare prototype weighs about 60 grams, most of it from electronic components and the LCD lenses. Mark’s kept the aesthetic sleek and modern — a deliberate shift away from bulky, clinical-looking medical aids.
He relied heavily on 3D printing to get there. “I could just rapidly design — I’ve printed hundreds of different parts just making sure I could get to where I am now,” he says. He’s now starting to explore injection moulding to move beyond prototyping into refined production.
Mark’s natural curiosity is what powers his design process. “I'm studying product design at University of Canterbury. I'm in my first year at the moment, but I've always just kind of been interested in how things work,” he says. “Ever since I was young, I've always been interested in breaking things apart and figuring out how these different parts work and what I can do with them.”
That maker’s mindset has helped him tackle the engineering challenges largely on his own. But when it came to turning the product into a real venture, Mark knew he needed support.
Big Ideas, Early Recognition
Despite being in his first year of university, Mark has already attracted global attention. Lensare has been entered in the James Dyson Awards, a prestigious international competition recognising young inventors solving real-world problems.
The top international prize is $66,000 NZD, while national winners receive $10,000. “Even winning the national award would be a big help,” Mark says. “It would go a long way toward supporting medical testing, which is the next big step.”
Mark's journey into innovation started well before university. During high school, he submitted Lensare to a product design competition at Otago Polytechnic — careful to keep it confidential while filing his own provisional patent in New Zealand.
“It’s a bit tricky with the amount of funding I have, but I wanted to protect the idea,” he says. “So I wrote the provisional patent myself.”
Tapping Into the Startup Ecosystem
It was the University of Canterbury that recommended Mark connect with Startup Aotearoa, a national coaching programme that helps founders navigate early-stage product and business development.
“I got a recommendation through UC to reach out to Startup Aotearoa, and yeah — that was definitely the right thing to do,” he says. Through the programme, he was connected with mentor Dr Dianne Jones, an experienced founder in medical hardware.
“My expertise is mostly in product design,” Mark says. “But just having that business person you can talk to, who gives great advice and keeps you on a timeline so that things actually get done — I can’t recommend it enough.”
Diane’s guidance has helped Mark stay focused and prepare for next steps, including navigating what will be a critical (and costly) phase: medical validation. He’s already been in contact with a paediatric neurologist and a doctor at Auckland Hospital, who’ve provided early feedback on his prototypes.
Dr. Dianne Jones - Startup Aotearoa Coach
“It’s definitely an enjoyable project to work on. And the potential to help people is just so great. It’s worth it,”
One Step at a Time, with Big Vision
For now, Mark is juggling his studies with the ongoing development of Lensare — and he wouldn’t have it any other way. His goal is to eliminate flaws in the current design and improve detection across different types of flashes. Once the technology is solid, he hopes to manufacture the glasses at scale and explore broader use cases for the core lens system.
“I really want to refine this design to get to the point where there’s little to no flaws — really cracking down on detecting all those different types of flashes and making sure that if someone wears it, they’re fully protected.”
With strong mentorship, a global spotlight, and a clear sense of purpose, Mark Campbell and Lensare represent the kind of homegrown innovation Aotearoa needs — practical, people-focused, and solving a global problem.
Do you have a promising startup idea that could benefit from expert guidance? Follow in Angelica's footsteps and book a Startup Aotearoa coaching session today.
If you're interested in helping bring Lensare to life, check out www.lensare.com or contact Mark via LinkedIn
Original story published by Mary Hurley, Caffiene
Do you have a promising startup idea that could benefit from expert guidance? Follow in Angelica's footsteps and book a Startup Aotearoa coaching session today.
Original story published by Mary Hurley, Caffiene