People who have perfect – or near perfect – vision might take their eyesight for granted. For those of us who have had to wear corrective optical equipment for practically our whole lives, the story is a totally different thing. I have been wearing glasses since I was in third grade, and if I could afford it, I would have gotten LASIK a long time ago.
Glasses can be cool, but they can also be a hassle. Thank goodness for contact lenses. Then again, there is the issue of hygiene and prolonged wear. Contact lenses do offer convenience, but it also means a little more taking care of your eyes.
But what if contact lenses were to take on a different dimension? Say we were to get high tech computerized contact lenses that will allow the wearer to do the following:
- Gain access to information hands-free
- Embed sensors that will provide information relevant to medical conditions
- Have access to texting and social networking
Out of this world? I totally agree, and I do dare to add that the third point is particularly superfluous. Then again, I could be wrong.
The concept of these high tech computerized contact lenses is called info-vision seems straight out of a science fiction story, and perhaps it is. With info-vision, the wearer of the computerized contact lenses will be able to see information right in front of his (or her) eyes. Literally. I think of it as Iron Man‘s vision, albeit minus the visor. You can even zoom in and out to get a clearer view of what is in front of you. Now I can see how this can be handy if you buy the cheapest tickets for a football game. Then you would not have to take binoculars along!
Is this concept merely wishful thinking, or is it totally possible? Here’s a little image which shows how it can actually work in real life.
Professor Babak Parviz is the guy who came up with a prototype of these computerized contact lenses, and believe it or not, he has actually tried it on a rabbit! His prototype is far from the ultimate lens still, but it seems like he is on the right path. If he is successful, we just might have something totally revolutionary.
Contact lens photo via maikel_nai
Via The Daily Mail