The scientists in Switzerland have developed advanced contact lenses possessing telescopic abilities that can allow the wearer zoom into minute things with a wink.
These advanced contact lenses are the first of their kind that is controlled through winking. These lenses possess a super thin telescope that immediately runs into action when the wearer winks using right eye. However, the left eye winking makes the contact lens return to normal.
The researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) in Switzerland have developed this “superhero vision” contact lens. The project was funded by the DARPA.
Eric Tremblay of EPFL launched a prototype of the device at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in San Jose, California.
The developers are hoping that the contact lens would offer greater assistance to those individuals who have long term impaired vision.
“We think these lenses hold a lot of promise for low vision and age-related macular degeneration (AMD),” said Tremblay while adding, “It’s very important and hard to strike a balance between function and the social costs of wearing any kind of bulky visual device. There is a strong need for something more integrated, and a contact lens is an attractive direction.”
The contact lens, which is bigger and thicker than regular ones, will be able to magnify the vision by three-fold, giving lots of hope to those elderly people who suffer from AMD, which causes blindness.