Smart Contact Lenses: The Future of Health and AR Vision

The idea of a computer screen sitting directly on your eyeball was once the exclusive territory of science fiction movies like Mission: Impossible or Black Mirror. Today, that concept is rapidly transitioning into a tangible product. Smart contact lenses are currently in advanced prototype stages, with major tech companies and research universities vying to bring two distinct functionalities to market: medical diagnostics and augmented reality (AR).

While you cannot walk into a pharmacy and buy them just yet, the technology has moved beyond theoretical papers. From monitoring glucose levels in diabetic patients to overlaying navigation arrows on the road in front of you, smart contact lenses represent the next massive shift in wearable technology.

How Smart Lenses Work

Creating a smart contact lens requires shrinking complex hardware onto a transparent, flexible disc that is small enough to sit on the human cornea without causing irritation. This is a feat of extreme miniaturization.

Engineers are currently integrating several key components into these lenses:

• Micro-LED Displays: These screens are no larger than a grain of sand but can project crisp images directly onto the retina.
• Biocompatible Sensors: These detect biological markers in tear fluid, such as glucose, lactic acid, or intraocular pressure.
• Micro-Batteries: Power sources are often the biggest hurdle. Innovations include batteries powered by tear fluid (saline solution) or wireless power transfer via radio frequency.
• Antennas: Tiny, transparent conductive materials allow the lens to communicate data to a smartphone or external medical device.

The Medical Revolution: Glucose and Glaucoma

The most immediate and life-changing application for smart lenses is in healthcare. The “snippet” of this technology focuses on glucose monitoring, which is a “holy grail” for the management of diabetes.

Non-Invasive Glucose Monitoring

For the millions of people with diabetes, managing blood sugar currently involves painful finger pricks or wearing bulky continuous glucose monitors (CGMs) on the arm. Smart lenses offer a needle-free alternative.

Tears contain glucose, though the concentration is different from blood. Early attempts by Google (the Verily project) stalled because of the difficulty in correlating tear glucose with blood glucose. However, recent breakthroughs have revitalized this field.

Researchers at POSTECH (Pohang University of Science and Technology) have developed a “theranostic” smart lens. This device does not just monitor; it treats. It uses chip sensors to detect glucose levels in tears and, if levels are high, can trigger a drug delivery system embedded in the lens to release medication directly into the eye to treat diabetic retinopathy.

Glaucoma Management

Beyond diabetes, smart lenses are proving vital for glaucoma patients. Glaucoma is often caused by high intraocular pressure (IOP), which fluctuates throughout the day and is hard to track with occasional doctor visits.

Companies like GlakoLens have developed biosensors embedded in soft contact lenses. These sensors measure the curvature of the cornea over 24 hours. As eye pressure rises, the cornea changes shape slightly. The lens detects this mechanical stress and sends the data wirelessly to a doctor. This allows for personalized treatment plans based on actual daily fluctuations rather than a single snapshot taken during a clinic visit.

Augmented Reality: Vision Beyond Sight

While medical applications focus on health, the consumer tech industry is focused on “Super Vision.” This involves Augmented Reality (AR), where digital information is overlaid onto the real world.

Navigation and Heads-Up Displays

Imagine walking down a busy street and seeing floating arrows directing you to your destination, or having your translation app display subtitles in real-time beneath a person speaking a foreign language.

XPANCEO, a deep-tech company based in Dubai, recently showcased four different smart contact lens prototypes. Their “Holographic Lens” creates a mixed-reality experience without the need for heavy headsets like the Apple Vision Pro or Meta Quest. Their prototypes utilize materials like graphene to create lenses that are incredibly thin yet highly conductive.

Features currently in testing include:

• Night Vision: Enhancing low-light environments using advanced sensors.
• Zoom: While currently limited, early tech allows for zooming in on distant objects, which could revolutionize life for the visually impaired.
• Notifications: Displaying texts, heart rate, or speed directly in your peripheral vision.

The InWith Corporation Approach

InWith Corporation has taken a different route by focusing on soft contact lenses. They have developed a method to integrate flexible microelectronics into the hydrogel materials currently used in standard contacts. Their “Bionic Electronic Contact Lens” platform aims to connect the blinking eye to the mobile ecosystem, allowing users to tune their vision or interact with mobile devices through eye movements.

The Power Problem: Saline Batteries

One of the most critical challenges in smart lens development is power. You cannot plug a contact lens into a wall, and putting a standard lithium-ion battery in the eye is dangerous.

A major breakthrough occurred recently at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) Singapore. Researchers there created a battery as thin as a human cornea that is powered by a biocompatible saline solution. In a practical scenario, the battery could be charged by the user’s own tears. This eliminates the risk of toxic chemicals leaking into the eye and solves the issue of needing heavy, rigid components for energy storage.

Challenges to Commercial Release

Despite the successful prototypes, you will not see these on Amazon next week. Several hurdles remain before mass adoption.

Regulatory Approval

Because these devices sit on the eye, they are classified as medical devices in most jurisdictions (including the US via the FDA). This means they require rigorous clinical trials to prove they do not cause infection, thermal damage (overheating), or hypoxia (oxygen deprivation to the cornea).

Privacy Concerns

Just as Google Glass faced backlash for having a camera on the face, smart contact lenses raise significant privacy questions. If a user can take a photo or record video with a blink, it becomes nearly impossible for others to know they are being recorded. Legislation will likely need to catch up to the technology.

Comfort and Heat

Electronics generate heat. Even a fraction of a degree increase in temperature on the surface of the eye can be damaging over time. Engineers must ensure perfectly efficient heat dissipation to make the lenses safe for all-day wear.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will smart contact lenses be available to buy? Medical-grade lenses for glaucoma monitoring are closer to market and could see approval within the next 2 to 3 years. AR consumer lenses are further out, likely appearing closer to 2027 or 2030 for general public purchase.

How much will they cost? Initial pricing will be high. Analysts estimate early medical smart lenses could cost between \(300 and \)600 per lens, potentially covered by insurance for conditions like glaucoma. Consumer AR lenses will likely rival the cost of high-end smartphones.

Do I need a smartphone to use them? Yes. Current prototypes rely on a nearby smartphone to do the heavy processing. The lens acts as a display and sensor, but the phone processes the data and sends it back to the eye via Bluetooth or similar wireless protocols.

Can I sleep in smart contact lenses? Likely not. Just like standard contacts, leaving them in overnight increases the risk of infection. Furthermore, they will likely need to be removed to recharge wirelessly in a cleaning case.