Scientists have developed the first telescopic contact lenses that are capable of zooming your vision to three times with merely a wink of the eye. Users of this vision-enhancing system will be able to have a crystal clear view of the moon’s surface, as well as other celestial bodies that hover in our solar system. The lenses, which cover the sclera (a.k.a. the whites of your eyes), contain a ring of tiny aluminum telescopes which bounce light around, thus magnifying human eyesight. To switch from normal to zoomed vision, all the user has to do is wink their right eye. To revert to normal eyesight, or ‘’zoom out’’, the user would simply wink their left eye.
Wink once to zoom. Telescopic contact lenses that let the wearer
switch between normal and magnified vision are coming into focus.
The latest prototype – unveiled today at the AAAS Annual Meeting in
San Jose, California – could one day help people with visual impairment.
The lenses might be particularly useful for people with macular degeneration,
a debilitating condition in which people gradually lose their central
vision. It is the leading cause of visual impairment in the UK and
affects millions worldwide.
Developed by a team led by Eric Tremblay at the Swiss Federal
Institute of Technology in Lausanne, the rigid contact lens covers the
sclera, or whites of the eyes, making it larger than an ordinary lens.
Within it are tiny aluminium mirrors, arranged in a ring around the
centre. When light streams through, the mirrors bounce it around several
times, causing objects to appear 2.8 times larger than they really are.
Toggle the zoom
To toggle between the magnified and normal views, the lenses must be
worn with a pair of electronic glasses. A wink with one eye makes the
glasses switch to a polarised filter that directs light to the
telescopic part of the lenses. Winking with the other eye switches the
setting back to let light pass through normally.
The prototype builds on a previous version
that did not let the user toggle the zoom. The design of the lenses has
also been altered, to allow oxygen to reach the eye. Since the lenses
are large and thick in the middle, they limit airflow to the surface of
the eye and can only be worn for a limited amount of time. To fix this,
the team added small channels to let air travel around the underside of
the lens.
With better airflow, the researchers hope to begin human trials. So
far the researchers have tested the tech with a life-size mechanical
model of the eye that relays what it sees to a computer screen.
People with macular degeneration lose their eyesight gradually, with
damage to the retina making their vision increasingly blurry. Existing
treatment options are limited to surgery, or wearing visual aids that
resemble opera glasses – known as bioptic telescopes.
The zoom lenses might be tricky for people who are visually impaired
or who have some form of infirmity to pop on and off with ease, says James Handa, an ophthalmologist at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore. But he thinks they could be a popular option for many.
“If it affords them the ability to get enough magnification for their
loss of vision, absolutely,” he says. “It’s a highly innovative and
very creative idea.”
SCIENCE!
OMG normally l respond to cybertech enhancements by going, “Cool, but I’ll never get that done.”
We are William Afton stans first and humans second 