'Night vision' contact lenses let you see in the dark even with closed eyes
The 'super-vision' lenses have been created by scientists in China and could also help color blind people see in color again.
Scientists have developed 'night vision' contact lenses that enable wearers to see in the dark. The futuristic technology, pioneered by researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China, operates by absorbing infrared light and converting it into visible light.
Unlike night vision goggles, these lenses don't require a power source and can function even when the wearer's eyes are closed.
"Our research opens up the potential for non-invasive wearable devices to give people super-vision," stated Tian Xue, a neuroscientist at the University of Science and Technology of China and senior author of the study.
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"There are many potential applications right away for this material. For example, flickering infrared light could be used to transmit information in security, rescue, encryption or anti-counterfeiting settings."
The lens incorporates minuscule particles known as nanoparticles along with flexible materials typically found in standard soft contact lenses.
The functionality of the lenses was initially tested on mice. Mice without the lenses showed no preference for a box, while those wearing the lenses chose the dark box, suggesting they could perceive the infrared light.
In human trials, the researchers reported that participants wearing the infrared contact lenses were able to detect flashing signals and discern the direction of incoming infrared light.
"It's totally clear cut: without the contact lenses, the subject cannot see anything, but when they put them on, they can clearly see the flickering of the infrared light," Xue explained.
"We also found that when the subject closes their eyes, they're even better able to receive this flickering information, because near-infrared light penetrates the eyelid more effectively than visible light, so there is less interference from visible light."
However, not everyone is convinced about the practicality of this innovation. "I cannot think of any application that would not be fundamentally simpler with infrared goggles," Glen Jeffery, a neuroscientist at University College London who specializes in eye health, told Nature.
"Evolution has avoided this for a good reason."
Despite the skepticism, the researchers believe they could use the technology to create contact lenses that turn different light wavelengths into different colors, potentially enabling color-blind individuals to perceive color again.
"By converting red visible light into something like green visible light, this technology could make the invisible visible for color blind people," Xue stated.
"In the future, by working together with materials scientists and optical experts, we hope to make a contact lens with more precise spatial resolution and higher sensitivity."
The study was published in the journal Cell.
