Researchers have designed the world’s first ‘Terminator-style’ contact lens that would allow wearers to zoom in and zoom out.
The 1.17 mm-thick prototype contains two separate optical paths: one for magnified vision and one for regular vision.
Wearers will be able see normally through the central region, while selective blocking makes it possible for the user to switch between the two types of view. Thus, the user can effectively zoom in and out.
Researchers from the US and Switzerland led by University of California San Diego Professor Joseph Ford said, with refinements, the system could offer Age-Related Macular Degeneration patients a relatively unobtrusive way to enhance their vision. “For a visual aid to be accepted it needs to be highly convenient and unobtrusive,” said co-author Eric Tremblay.