The new world of contact lenses has arrived: ones that allow individuals to see in the dark with their eyes closed.
In the journal Cell, neuroscientists explained how they created contact lenses that make the breakthrough possible by converting infrared light to visible light.
Per the research, there is no power source necessary, and the wearers can see both visible and infrared light simultaneously, with the latter increasing when one’s eyes are closed.
“Our research opens up the potential for non-invasive wearable devices to give people super-vision,” Tian Xue, senior author and neuroscientist at the University of Science and Technology of China, said in the journal.
To create the lenses, nanoparticles were partnered with nontoxic and flexible polymers often used in soft contact lenses.
“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 added.
Presently, only infrared radiation from an LED light mechanism can be detected, but in time, it is hoped that lower levels will be able to be seen.
“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,” Xue said.
