Contact Lens with Telescope Built In

CNN: Contact lens with built-in telescope could help people with blinding disease (CNN)Lights, mirrors, action! Scientists are developing smart contact lenses embedded with miniscule mirrors that can magnify your vision by almost three times. The 1.55mm-thick lenses incorporate a thin reflective telescope made of mirrors and filters; when light enters the eye it bounces off the series of mirrors and increases the perceived view of an object or person. It is hoped that the lens will improve the sight of people with age-related macular degeneration (AMD) -- the third leading cause of blindness globally. Read more here >>

AMD causes the loss of central vision due to gradual damage to the eye's retina and there are few options for cure or treatment. "AMD is the biggest problem where magnification is a proven visual aid," says Eric Tremblay, research scientist at EPFL in Switzerland. Tremblay led the optical design of the lens, which is based on a surgically implantable telescope currently used by some patients with AMD, but which is more invasive than a lens. "With a contact lens, it's easy to try it," says Tremblay.