New Developments in Telescopic Contact Lenses

"An estimated 285 million people are visually impaired worldwide and age-related macular degeneration alone is the leading cause of blindness among older adults. There may be some new hope, in the form of prototype telescopic contact lenses," writes Science20. "Eric Tremblay from EPFL in Switzerland says the first iteration of the telescopic contact lens--which magnifies 2.8 times--was announced in 2013. Since then the scientists behind the DARPA-funded project have been fine-tuning the lens membranes and developing accessories to make the eyewear smarter and more comfortable for longer periods of time, and thus more usable in every day life. The contacts work by incorporating a very thin reflective telescope inside a 1.55mm thick lens. Small mirrors within bounce light around, expanding the perceived size of objects and magnifying the view, so it's like looking through low magnification binoculars." Read more.