NEW YORK—Wearable technology was the hot topic at the January 2015 Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, and a newly released series of videos from Review of Optometric Business shows how eyewear is playing a central role in the burgeoning category of “wearables.”

"A few years ago, electronic eyewear began to make an appearance, but now it really claims its own space," said Andrew Karp, group editor Lenses & Technology for 20/20 and Vision Monday, who is featured in the videos.

Wearable technology has branched off in several directions, according to Karp, who edits Vision Monday’s Eye2, a monthly e-newsletter that covers wearable technology. Some electronic eyewear generates an augmented reality that lays text and image atop clear lenses so you can interact with the world in an information-rich environment. Virtual reality devices provide an immersive experience, sealing off the wearer in a world within goggles. Beyond that are niche products, often with health and wellness features, all built into eyewear.

Innovations in "wearable technology" are driven by a trend toward task-specific applications for lifestyle and work-related needs, Karp noted. Some electronic eyewear captures sports action with HD cameras; other devices generate an immersive 360-degree action environment for gaming, manipulating virtual objects or viewing 3D movies.

"Eyecare practitioners have long looked at patient lifestyles to offer products that enhance one's experience," he said. "Now manufacturers of wearable tech are doing the same thing."

Click here to view the videos, and click here to see a slide show about the wearables on display at CES 2015.