Smart contact lenses, I will you the name, and you are going to laugh and tell us that it is the stuff of superheroes! You will be able to see in the dark. You will be able to ‘zoom’ in on objects. You can make objects appear larger just by looking at them. However, believe it or not, many companies have announced they’re researching smart contact lens technology. Theses will accelerate vision above and beyond human capabilities.
You will get the right contact lens for you to improve eyesight by browsing a collection of smart contact lenses. It will be going to integrate augmented reality or allow you to take photographs just by blinking.
Smart contact lenses are the most anticipated wearable tech technologies.
Smart Contact Lenses : Working
You will be able to wear basic smart contact lenses like a standard contact lens. No surgery is required, and thee can be inserted or removed by the customer. They can sit on the eyeball and will have micro versions of today’s technology.
The advanced smart lens needs a surgical replacement of the existing lens with an electronic one. The fluid is injected into the eye and fusing with the lens capsule as it solidifies. It is the best technological features and more permanent and robust. The artificial lens focusses light on the retina, improving vision flexibly are just as comfortable as standard lenses.
The smart contact lenses that reach the market are likely to contain micro-versions of the following technologies:
- Auto-focusing lens
- Battery
- CPU
- Data Storage
- Antenna
- Task-specific sensors
- Bluetooth
- Display
- Radio
Smart lenses are built to harvest energy. The two methods are solar power sensors, to convert light to electrical power, and piezoelectric transducers, to turn the mechanical eye movement of blinking into electrical energy.
Smart Contact Lenses : Companies
The business world is in a race to develop wearable tech, and the smart contact lens market is no exception. America is the most significant player globally, with its increasing demand for eye care solutions and the adoption of wearable medical devices. The smart contact lens market will grow at a rate of 10.4% by 2023. An Alphabet subsidiary, Verily, has been the most aggressive in bringing electronics to contact lenses.
Several other companies have also announced that they are researching applications for smart contact lenses including:
- Samsung
- Sony
- Columbia University Medical Centre
- Sensimed
- University of Michigan
- U.S. Department of Defense
- Swiss Federated Institute of Technology in Lausanne
- Medella
- Novartis
Smart Contact Lenses : Revolutionize Healthcare
Today there are approximately 253 million people around the world living with visual impairment. The five most common conditions are:
- Cataracts Diabetic Retinopathy
- Macular Degeneration
- Glaucoma
- Retinal Detachment
Smart contact lens applications will treat common eye conditions better than a conventional lens. Researchers of the University of Wisconsin have invented a smart lens to treat farsightedness. And, thanks to U.S. military funding, mimicking the uniquely-shaped retina of the elephant nose fish. They are designing a contact lens that autofocuses within milliseconds and scientists at the University of Michigan are building a contact lens that will make soldiers able to see in the dark through thermal imaging.
The technology using a single layer of carbon atoms, called graphene, has to pick up the whole spectrum of light, which includes ultraviolet. Swiss Federated Institute of Technology, Lausanne, has developed telescopic contact lenses for the user to switch between the standard and magnified vision to they can zoom in on specific objects.
Smart contact lenses don’t stop at sharpening vision; they are being designed to help with several other medical conditions. They can carry a wireless chip and miniaturized sensor for monitoring physiological parameters like or intraocular pressure in glaucoma patients or the glucose levels in the tears of a diabetic patient.
Smart Contact Lenses : Photography and Augmented Reality
Being a vision-based technology, smart contact lenses are an obvious way to explore virtual and augmented reality and camera technologies. Samsung is working on a route to present visual information directly into the retina of the eye to alter the field of vision. It functions as a small version of Google Glass. It will create a real experience with a twist.
Sony has already applied for the patent for the smart contact lens. This lens developed by the company can convert eye movement into electrical power, which you control through blinking your eyes. The lens can store images or video once fully recorded.
Smart Contact Lenses : A Smart Future
Beside casual consumers and technology enthusiasts, there are some useful real-world applications for smart contact lens technology. They will give surgeons better vision and immediate feedback on vital signs, and they can provide a way to monitor symptoms and patients with long-term illnesses. They will be used by police and security officers to replace body-cams so that; they can increase military operations.
