Science fiction has plenty of characters sporting cool and trendy eyewear. However, these visual accessories do not really do much and are generally there for aesthetic purposes.

No one believes that Clark Kent’s nerdy glasses are actually the reason why nobody can figure out that he is Superman. However, ever so often, a sci-fi character comes along sporting a visor that is feature-packed and has fanboys salivating over the prospect of owning a replica. Here are three sci-fi characters that don the best visors in the business:

Geordi La Forge

It is well known that Star Trek has inspired numerous real-world technological marvels. From the mobile-phones to mp3 players, real life scientists have often taken a cue from technologies featured in Star Trek. One gadget that scientists are trying to replicate is Geordi La Forge’s VISOR (Visual Instrument and Sensory organ Replacement). Blind since birth, the Chief Engineer from Star Trek: The Next Generation depends upon the VISOR to be able to perform his duties on the USS Enterprise. Besides allowing Geordi La Forge to live a normal life (as normal as life can get in an episode of Star Trek), The VISOR allows La Forge to see the full range of electromagnetic spectrum, which often helps him see and find minor things that would never be detected by human eyes. Geordi’s VISOR was undoubtedly one of the most important prop pieces that defined Star Trek for an entire generation of Trekkies.

Cyclops (Scott Summers)

One of the most-underrated X-Men characters, Cyclops can find solace in the fact that he sports the most ridiculously awesome visual accessory in the franchise. In a universe where mutants with superpowers are quite common, Cyclops stands apart thanks to his “optic blast” ability. Sure it makes looking into a lover’s eyes a hard thing to do, but does that really matter when you can harness as much power as a nuclear reactor? If not kept under control, his powers can end up causing massive havoc (ironically, Havoc is his brother’s mutant name). This where is uber-cool visors step into the picture. The visor allows Scott Summers to harness the power of his optical blast and focus them onto a target with spectacular results. A blast from his visor may not cut through Wolverine’s adamantium claws, but is strong enough to pierce through almost every other material known to man. The visor also allows Cyclops to manipulate the intensity of the blasts, allowing him to cause varying degrees of damage and letting the beams bounce of reflective surfaces. When not blasting Sabertooth or Sentinels into oblivion, the visor allows Cyclops to view his surroundings normally, albeit with a red tone.

Iron Man / War Machine

Okay, so admittedly the armor suits are the main reason why anyone bothers to follow the adventures of Tony Stark. However, the visor in his helmet is undoubtedly the most crucial piece of equipment in his armor suits. Most fanboys will be up-in-arms at this point. How could the visor possibly outshine all the impressive firepower that the suits pack? Anyone who pilots the armour suit needs to be fed with important and relevant information all the time. From flight controls to weapons system status, all the information is fed to the pilot using the visor. What makes it exciting is that is a very similar system to the visors employed currently by fighter and attack helicopter pilots. No one would like to see the results of Tony Stark trying to pilot the Iron Man suit without a properly functioning visor. The new Iron Man 3 movie will feature new armored suits for Iron Man and War Hammer, but the trusty old visor, complete with JARVIS, continues to be an integral part of all the suits.

Fully-functional visors may seem like an object that can only exist in the world of science-fiction. But in reality, scientists are taking inspiration from science-fiction and are working tirelessly to develop real-world applications for them.

Tony Blair has contributed a number of articles on health care. With his experience of 10 years in eye surgery, he highly recommends cataract surgery in Melbourne for their excellent results.

Image courtesy of Wikipedia