Submitted by administrator on
I have always fancied a change in eye colour. I like the novelty lenses that come out at Halloween and the reaction you get from people as they stare deep into your eyes trying to work out whats different. With advances in technology and research you might be surprised the next time you gaze into my green eyes and see what appears to be tiny circuits ringing the iris and my pupils dancing with pinpricks of light.
These lenses however are not fashion statements, these are smart contacts with the sole aim of improving vision. Super smart they will be able to monitor blood sugar levels in patients diagnosed with diabetes and also look for signs of glaucoma.
They will also be able to map images directly onto the field of view, creating head-up displays for the ultimate augmented reality experience, without wearing glasses or a headset. Researchers are working on achieving this via merging transparent, eye-friendly materials with microelectronics.
It all sounds very 2020 doesn't it?
Back in 2008, a prototype contact lens containing a single red LED was developed at the University of Washington in Seattle. That same technology, has now made a lens capable of monitoring glucose levels in sufferers of diabetes.
How does this work? It works because the glucose levels in tear fluid has a direct correspondence to the levels found in blood, making a continuous measurement possible without the old necessity for thumb pricks. The design requires for the contact lens to send information wirelessly to a portable device worn by the patient which allows them to self- manage their prescriptions and diet more accurately.
A lens that contains arrays of tiny LEDs may allow this or any other type of digital information to be displayed directly to the wearer. Its the technology that is already being used in cellphones, with numerous applications superimposing digital data onto images of our surroundings, which blends our physical and online worlds to great effect.
Working on something so small of course will have its own problems, but the technology has begun to take shape. A Swiss commercial smart contact lens has already been released designed to improve treatment for people with glaucoma.
Highly sensitive platinum strain gauges embedded in the lens record changes in the curvature of the cornea, which correspond directly to the pressure inside the eye. The lens transmits the readings wirelessly to a portable recording device worn by the patient.
The lens is powered by a loop antenna which transmits electricity to the contact lens, which in turn is used to interrogate the sensors, and process the signals and then transmit the readings.
They are designed to be worn just once for a full 24 hours, with the patient repeating the process once or twice a year. This will show peaks in eye pressure which will vary between patients during the course of a day. The information is then used to schedule medication.