Vital Signs

Contact lens with built-in telescope could help people with blinding disease

By Meera Senthilingam, for CNN
Updated 6:58 AM EDT, Tue March 24, 2015
Scientists are developing a telescopic contact lens to magnify human vision, which could help people with age-related macular degeneration.
Scientists are developing a telescopic contact lens to magnify human vision, which could help people with age-related macular degeneration.
UCSD
When paired with customized glasses, the wearer winks with their right eye for magnified vision, whilst the left restores normal vision. Pictured is a prototype version.
When paired with customized glasses, the wearer winks with their right eye for magnified vision, whilst the left restores normal vision. Pictured is a prototype version.
Courtesy EPFL
Swiss biotech firm Sensimed was an early adopter of smart lens technology, to monitor the progression of glaucoma. Its "Triggerfish" system comprised a lens and a wireless data receiver worn around the neck, designed to monitor the eye over 24 hours. The technology is hoped to enable earlier diagnosis.
Swiss biotech firm Sensimed was an early adopter of smart lens technology, to monitor the progression of glaucoma. Its "Triggerfish" system comprised a lens and a wireless data receiver worn around the neck, designed to monitor the eye over 24 hours. The technology is hoped to enable earlier diagnosis.
Sensimed SA, Switzerland
Alcon signed an agreement with Google[x] -- the internet giant's development wing -- in 2014 to continue research into ocular medical solutions. The collaboration will begin by using sensors and microelectronics within lenses to monitor glucose levels in diabetics and correct presbyopia.
Alcon signed an agreement with Google[x] -- the internet giant's development wing -- in 2014 to continue research into ocular medical solutions. The collaboration will begin by using sensors and microelectronics within lenses to monitor glucose levels in diabetics and correct presbyopia.
Google
Eye drops may soon be a thing of the past as teams at Boston Children's Hospital, and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, have developed a drug-eluting lens. A drug-polymer film on the lens is designed to slowly release medication over an extended period of time.
Eye drops may soon be a thing of the past as teams at Boston Children's Hospital, and the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, have developed a drug-eluting lens. A drug-polymer film on the lens is designed to slowly release medication over an extended period of time.
Kohane Laboratory
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been working with Innovega iOptiks to develop an augmented reality lens. The lens will contact a tiny display feeding information to the wearer whilst allowing them to focus on far away objects at the same time.
The U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has been working with Innovega iOptiks to develop an augmented reality lens. The lens will contact a tiny display feeding information to the wearer whilst allowing them to focus on far away objects at the same time.
DARPA
Contact lens with built-in telescope could help people with blinding disease

Editor’s Note: Vital Signs is a monthly program bringing viewers health stories from around the world.

Story highlights

Telescopic contact lenses are being developed to magnify vision in the visually impaired

Combined with LCD glasses, the lenses let users switch between regular and magnified vision with a wink

CNN  — 

Lights, mirrors, action! Scientists are developing smart contact lenses embedded with miniscule mirrors that can magnify your vision by almost three times.

The 1.55mm-thick lenses incorporate a thin reflective telescope made of mirrors and filters; when light enters the eye it bounces off the series of mirrors and increases the perceived view of an object or person. It is hoped that the lens will improve the sight of people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) – the third leading cause of blindness globally.

AMD causes the loss of central vision due to gradual damage to the eye’s retina and there are few options for cure or treatment. “AMD is the biggest problem where magnification is a proven visual aid,” says Eric Tremblay, research scientist at EPFL in Switzerland.

Tremblay led the optical design of the lens, which is based on a surgically implantable telescope currently used by some patients with AMD, but which is more invasive than a lens. “With a contact lens, it’s easy to try it,” says Tremblay.

Making the switch

A key innovation with the lenses is the added ability to switch between magnified and regular vision through a complementary pair of glasses. The battery-powered glasses use LCD technology to watch the movement of the eye and a simple wink can alter their polarization and determine whether light entering is magnified or not. “Having the ability to switch on demand is attractive,” says Tremblay.

The ability to selectively magnify your vision makes the design of the glass-lens combination more suitable for daily life. “When mag