Vision of the future

Bionic eye

2008-09-22T07:47:00.000-07:00

A working bionic eye could be an Australian world first by 2020 if action is taken quickly, leading researchers at the University of New South Wales say. Featuring Professor Nigel Lovell from UNSW's Graduate School of Biomedical Engineering.

Read the full article:
"Australian bionic eye can be reality by 2020" http://www.unsw.edu.au/news/pad/artic...

For more info, visit http://bionic.unsw.edu.au/

Smart Contact Lenses can help glaucoma

2008-09-22T06:53:00.000-07:00

Scientists at the University of California, Davis, have recently designed a contact lens prototype with a built-in pressure sensor using a novel process that etches tiny electrical circuits within a soft polymer material. The new development could help glaucoma patients to measure their current risk factor, thus replacing the current methods which require the constant visit of a clinician.

more: http://thefutureofthings.com/news/1278/smart-contact-lenses.html

Implantable Contact lenses might replace LASIK Surgery

2008-09-17T06:20:00.000-07:00

While LASIK is the most popular form of surgical vision correction today with over a million Americans undergoing the procedure each year, that might change in the future. Implantable Contact Lenses, such as Visian ICL, might be the next wave of vision treatments. Unlike LASIK, Implantable Contact Lenses can treat high amounts of near-sightedness, dry eyes, thin corneas, and possibly even patients with diseases such as keratoconus

In a comparative study of patients who underwent LASIK and/or Visian ICL it was discovered that the Visian ICL not only compared favorably to LASIK surgery but in fact exceeded the results of LASIK surgery in many categories.

more: http://www.helpkeratoconus.com/info/keratoconus-news/in-the-future-implantable-contact-lenses-might-replace-lasik-surgery/

Bionic contact lens - A computer in your eyes

2008-09-17T06:15:00.000-07:00

Researchers at the University of Washington have created the prototype for a bionic contact lens — recently tested on rabbits — that includes light-emitting diodes, basic wiring for electronic circuits and even a tiny antenna. Future versions, the scientists believe, could serve as a flexible plastic platform for applications such as surfing the Internet on a virtual screen, immersing gamers in virtual worlds and monitoring patients’ medical conditions.

More: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/22731631/

“Drug-laden” lenses can replace eye drops

2008-09-17T06:11:00.000-07:00

At the University of Florida, some researchers have developed “drug-laden” lenses to deliver medication at precise intervals.

The soft contact lenses were developed for people suffering from glaucoma or other eye disorders, and use tiny drug-filled “nanoparticles” capable of releasing medication slowly and steadily into the eye. The particles are actually mixed with the material used to make contact lenses before they are manufactured, and do not interfere with normal vision. These lenses would be a lot more efficient than regular eye drops, which tend to release most of their medication into the bloodstream and not the actual eye where it is most needed.

Contact lens that will automatically adjust focal length (focus)

2008-09-17T06:06:00.000-07:00

A company from Virginia filed a patent for a revolutionary contact lens that will automatically adjust focal length (focus) using liquid crystals.
The system consists of a contact lens, an “electro-active” element layer (the liquid crystals) attached to the lens, a view detector in electronic communication with the electro-active element, and an external power source.

Essentially, the view detector will use sources such as lasers, radio waves, microwaves or ultrasonic impulses to judge the distance from the object being viewed by the user. This information is communicated via a controller, which adjusts the amount of voltage applied to the layer of liquid crystals, which adjusts the index of refraction.

There are no information yet about where the power will come from and how the viewfinder will judge distances but one day it might work.