Over the retiring year , we ’ve heard about some middling interesting development in the world of contact lens of the eye . Scientists have made procession on creating a pair of “ smart ” lenses for diabetics that are open ofmonitoring glucose levels , and Google is even inventing a band with anin - built photographic camera . Now , researchers in Switzerland are act towards take us magnifying contact lenses that zoom in and out with a wink .

The fresh visual aids were unveiled last Friday by Eric Tremblay from theSwiss Federal Institute of Technologyat the American Association for the Advancement of Science one-year coming together in California . The innovative novel vision - heighten system , the first of its kind , includes a set of telescopic lens and smart glasses that can distinguish between nictation and winks so that the user can easily riff between zoomed and normal vision .

The ocular aids , which are still in the prototype stage , could be useful for those with optical impairment , which affects some 285 million masses worldwide . In particular , they might one day facilitate citizenry with a stipulation calledage - related macular degeneration ( AMD ) , which is the leading cause visual stultification in adult over the age of 50 . AMD is a progressive disease in which citizenry bit by bit loss their primal vision due to cell damage and expiry in the retina . Although there are glasses in existence to help those with this condition , known as bioptic telescopes , they ’re bulky and can interpose with social interaction . This new system , however , is design to be much less intrusive .

The telescopes built-in into the lense were actually first developed with financial support from DARPA assuperthin cameras for aerial drone , but they were subsequently converted into a imagination - enhance system that was first announce back in 2013 . Since then , scientists have been tweaking the system to make the complementary glass easily and the lens more suitable for longer wear .

The Lens themselves are rigid and larger than your bog standard lens , covering the sclera , or whites of the eyes . Within the 1.5 millimetre thick lenses is a annulus of tiny aluminum mirrors which reverberate light around , increasing the perceived sizing of object and magnifying the eyeshot 2.8 time . To shift between zoomed and normal scene , all the user has to do is wink their right oculus which interrupts the illumination being speculate from the contacts to the glasses , according toScience . When this signaling is blocked , a polarized filter in the glass kicks in which guides light source towards the telescopic part , New Scientistexplains . To get back to normal vision , they just demand to blink away their left middle .

Earlier models could only be wear for short periods of time because the amount of air reaching the control surface of the center was restricted , which trammel their uselessness . Since then , scientists have improved the length of clock time they can be wear for with the plus of tiny line that increase airflow around the eye .

Although the team behind the system has made many major improvements since the first version , it has n’t been tested in humans and the amount of fourth dimension they can be weary is still restrict , so it will unluckily be a while before we see them on the market .

[ ViaScience , New ScientistandEPFL ]