What Are Bionic Contact Lenses?

Canadian doctor Garth Webb developed the bionic contact lens Ocumetics in May 2015, which can be implanted into the patient's eye after only 8 minutes of painless surgery.

Bionic contact lenses

Canadian doctor Garth Webb developed the bionic contact lens Ocumetics in May 2015, which can be implanted into the patient's eye after only 8 minutes of painless surgery.

Chinese name

Bionic contact lenses

Foreign name

Ocumetics

inventor

Garth Webb

Invention time

May 2015

Not only can vision return to the level of normal people, because the bionic crystals use inert biocompatible polymer materials, even if time passes, the eyes will not undergo physiological changes.

In addition to Ocumetics, researchers from Switzerland and San Diego in the United States in 2013 have developed a "magnifying contact lens", which adds a magnifying ring to a normal contact lens, mainly to help people who have suffered from age-related macular degeneration all year round For vision. When this contact lens user wears Samsung 3D glasses, the sight in front of them can be magnified 2.8 times ^[1]

Proboscis live in muddy water with low light levels, but can find predators hidden in sludge, because their unique eyes can see things in the dark. According to a recent report from the National Eye Institute, researchers at the University of Wisconsin are mimicking the retina structure of this fish, hoping to develop a contact lens that can automatically adjust the focal length and improve people's night vision.

At present, about 1 billion people worldwide are affected by presbyopia. Due to the aging of the lens, they cannot see things nearby, and half of them have not been corrected. The research leader, Dr. Jiang Hongrui, of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, said that although glasses, general contact lenses, and surgery can improve vision, they can reduce the sensitivity of the eyes and the contrast of what they see, and it is difficult at night. See things clearly. Their idea was to design a contact lens that would automatically adjust with a person's own cornea and lens, thereby restoring his vision when he was young.

This research, funded by the National Institute of Ophthalmology, aims to overcome a number of design challenges, including designing the lens, algorithm-driven photoreceptors, microcircuits that regulate the shape of the lens, and power supplies, all of which are embedded in a soft, elastic material that interacts with people. Eyeball fit. Their latest research focuses on designing photoreceptors. Dr. Jiang said, "The photoreceptor must be very small, and it must be able to obtain images in low light conditions, so it must be extremely sensitive to light."

They took inspiration from the eyes of the weevils. The fish's retina is made up of a series of deep cup-like structures whose walls reflect light, helping to gather light and enhancing the specific wavelengths of light they need to see in the dark. Researchers borrowed from this design to create a device containing thousands of tiny light collectors, which are glass-like bumps like fingerprints, deep cup-shaped inside, and coated with a reflective aluminum film. When incident light hits these "fingerprints," they are focused by the reflective wall. They also tested the device's ability to enhance images with a mechanical eye model.

To change the focal length, contact lenses also require a small, ultra-thin power supply. Their plan is to use a solar cell that captures electrons from sunlight and converts them into electricity, which can store electricity. At present such devices need to be adjusted.

Researchers estimate that clinically tested contact lenses are expected to be made within 5 to 10 years. Dr. Jiang said that once made, its cost will not be much higher than ordinary contact lenses, because it has a huge market and can be produced in large quantities. ^[2]