Contact Lenses That Zoom If You Blink Twice Are Eyeglasses’ Endgame

• Scientists created contact lenses that can be controlled by the eyes’ movements.
• These lenses can zoom in or out just by blinking your eyes.
• This invention can be used in remotely-operated robotics and visual prosthesis in the near future.

We’ve since been teased by technology with smart glasses, which are tech-operated and used the same way as phones and computers. However, not much has succeeded and we’re still stuck waiting for something that will come close to Iron Man’s E.D.I.T.H.

So, if you’re really hoping for an invention like that, you would be pleased to know of the University of California San Diego’s research called “A Biomimetic Soft Lens Controlled by Electrooculographic Signal,” published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

This creation is similar to the contact lens you used in place of your eyeglasses or for color aesthetics. With the use of five electrodes found around the eyeballs, the contact lenses are mounted on the eyes. These biomimetic lenses are made of polymer films that are responsive to the electric signals emitted by the eyes, such as blinking or moving.

Although this invention is still in its infancy and prototype stage, the team have already tried it and these lenses proved to be functioning. They can zoom in and out by double blinking your eyelids. And since they’re controlled by the eyes’ movements, looking around can also operate other functions.

If this project gets produced for the public, it would be a big help for those who have medical conditions and ailments that limit their movements. It could also give a clearer vision and opportunities to the visually impaired.

Who knows, maybe in the long run, when more refinements and updates are put in this research, we would be able to enjoy functions like reading a book or browsing archives or data storage (yeah, like E.D.I.T.H).

It could still be farfetched, though. But one thing’s for sure: if these contact lens can cater to a lot of our visual needs, we’ll be saying goodbye to the eyeglasses we’ve been so dependent on, don’t you think?