Scientists invent the contact lenses of the future. Zoom in when you blink!

With the great technological advances achieved over the last few years, it has become increasingly complicated to distinguish between reality and science fiction. Proof of this is the new contact lenses developed by scientists at the University of California San Diego.


These contact lenses are similar to the traditional lenses worn by millions of people every day. This is because they can, through the blink of an eye, zoom!

How these "smart" contact lenses work

While the entire technology and process are extremely complex, there is a very simplified explanation for understanding exactly how these new contact lenses work.

The scientists used a procedure called electro oculography to measure the electrical impulses generated by the eyes when they perform certain movements. In this way, they were able to get detailed results on the level of an electrical impulse generated when looking right, up, sideways and also when blinking.

The final step was the development of a bio-mimetic lens, which reacted directly to this type of electrical impulses. In the developed prototype, the lens can react at a glance (twice) and make a change in focal length by zooming.

Contact lenses experiment

What are the possible practical applications of these lenses?

At the moment, scientists have published only one document explaining in detail all of their experimental design, as well as the results obtained. While there is still no clear purpose for this new creation, scientists have highlighted an important feature of these contact lenses.

Its features may be enabled regardless of whether or not the user can see. Even for blind users, eye movements continue to produce such electrical impulses. Therefore, some of your applications may be related to new features for blind users.