Look out: The next generation of wearable vision technology is closer than you think. Among the up-and-coming trends is a unique product: telescopic lenses that zoom as much as 2.8 times — activated by a wink.
Swiss researchers recently unveiled the lenses, which work by using a 1.55 millimeter scleral contact lens with a thin reflective telescope inside.
"This type of device could be useful as a visual aid for serious cases of vision loss where magnification is useful," Eric Tremblay, a researcher at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland, told MultiBriefs Exclusive.
The lenses will be paired with a set of accompanying smart glasses that can distinguish between blinks and winks to allow a user to switch between zoomed and normal vision, Tremblay said. The wearer will wink their right eye for magnification, and left eye for normal vision.
Tremblay presented the DARPA-funded project Feb. 13 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in California. His research collaborators include Joe Ford at the University of California, San Diego, and others at Paragon Vision Sciences, Innovega, Pacific Sciences and Engineering and Rockwell Collins.
The study originally began as a project focusing on bionic vision for American soldiers, funded by the Pentagon. The researchers concluded that it wouldn't really be cost-effective, and that the wearable devices would be better suited for those suffering from age-related macular degeneration (AMD). Going forward, the researchers plan to focus on AMD, which has no cure and is the leading cause of vision loss in adults 60 and older, according to the National Institutes of Health.
Although the first version of the zoomable lens was announced in 2013, scientists have improved upon the product since then, primarily working to develop the hands-free wink feature, Tremblay said. The team has also spent the last couple years working to make the lenses breathable — a critical feature, Tremblay said, noting the team is still having "serious challenges with respect to oxygen permeability, which is necessary for any real wear of this device."
The final lenses are made from several precision-cut pieces of plastics, aluminum mirrors and polarizing thin films along with biologically safe glues, according to the research institute.
Currently, AMD sufferers' treatment options include zooming glasses — known as biopic telescopes — and even an implantable miniature telescope made by VisionCare, which tracks a user's vision. However, the contact lenses have this benefit without the commitment of surgery, Tremblay said.
The ideas may seem brand-new, but researchers have been tinkering with the idea of high-tech contact lenses for decades. American optometrist William Feinbloom, a pioneer in optometric low-vision rehabilitation, made the first attempt at a telescopic contact lens in the 1960s.
"We've made some substantial leaps in the technical capabilities, but there's a long and impressive history," Tremblay said, noting that experimentation with contact lenses dates back to the early 1500s with illustrations by Leonardo da Vinci.
The next steps for the project might not be so clear-cut. The DARPA portion of the research program is coming to a close, but the researchers say they're hopeful the work will continue to go in the direction of AMD.
And despite how promising the invention may sound, it's still research, Tremblay said, adding that there's no telling when — or if— the product will become available to consumers.
"The most difficult and important steps are the final steps where the technology becomes something commercialized and useful," he said. "We are not there yet."
