{"id":260542,"date":"2025-05-27T22:11:27","date_gmt":"2025-05-27T22:11:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/aerospace\/new-contact-lenses-give-users-super-vision-to-see-infrared-light-even-with-their-eyes-closed\/"},"modified":"2025-05-27T22:11:27","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T22:11:27","slug":"new-contact-lenses-give-users-super-vision-to-see-infrared-light-even-with-their-eyes-closed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=260542","title":{"rendered":"New Contact Lenses Give Users Super-Vision to See Infrared Light\u2014Even With Their Eyes Closed"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Researchers have developed experimental contact lenses that use nanoparticles to convert the invisible wavelengths of near-infrared light into visible colors<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n \"Margherita\n <\/div>\n
\n

\n

Margherita Bassi<\/a><\/p>\n

– Daily Correspondent<\/span><\/p>\n

\n\"A
\n <\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture>
\n

A study participant puts in a contact lens. Researchers developed lenses with nanoparticles that convert infrared wavelengths into visible light that humans can perceive.
\n Yuqian Ma, Yunuo Chen, Hang Zhao<\/span>
\n <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Within the spectrum of electromagnetic radiation<\/a> that reaches Earth, humans are only able to see a narrow range of wavelengths, called visible light. Now, however, a team of neuroscientists and materials scientists has created contact lenses that allow users to see the longer wavelengths of infrared light\u2014and they\u2019ll even work when people have their eyes closed.<\/p>\n

\u201cOver half of the solar radiation energy, existing as infrared light, remains imperceptible to humans,\u201d Yuqian Ma<\/a>, an ophthalmologist at the University of Science and Technology of China, tells the Guardian<\/em><\/a>\u2019s Ian Sample. But the new work marks a step toward changing that.<\/p>\n

The team described their research in a study published last week in the journal Cell<\/em><\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

While night vision goggles<\/a>, with which one can also see infrared light, have been around for a long time, these contact lenses boast a few key advancements. For one, they don\u2019t need a power source, and they also enable users to see a number of different infrared wavelengths. Participants could also see visible light alongside the infrared, since the lenses are transparent, according to a statement<\/a> from the journal.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen wearing them, you still see everything normally,\u201d lead author\u00a0Gang Han<\/a>, a nanoparticle researcher at the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, tells ABC News<\/a>\u2019 Karen Tachi Udoh. \u201cThe lenses simply add the ability to see infrared images on top of what we already normally see.\u201d<\/p>\n

Simply put, the team developed nanoparticles in the lenses that convert near-infrared light\u2014wavelengths just a bit longer than what humans can perceive\u2014into visible reds, greens and blues. In previous research<\/a>, some of the same scientists gave mice infrared vision by injecting the nanoparticles directly into their eyes. Contact lenses are, clearly, a less invasive option.<\/p>\n

\n

\"a

\n

A researcher helps a study participant put in a contact lens.<\/p>\n

Yuqian Ma, Yunuo Chen, Hang Zhao<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The researchers tested the new lenses on mice, too. While the animals couldn\u2019t communicate to confirm whether the technology was working, their behaviors and physiology provided indirect clues to the team. The pupils of mice wearing contact lenses, for example, became smaller when exposed to infrared light, but mice without the lenses didn\u2019t have that reaction. Brain imaging also revealed activity in the visual processing areas of the animals\u2019 brains when the contact-wearing mice were exposed to infrared light.<\/p>\n

In human trials, participants detected the presence and direction of flashing infrared light. Furthermore, the researchers \u201cfound that when the subject closes their eyes, they\u2019re even better able to receive this flickering information, because near-infrared light penetrates the eyelid more effectively than visible light, so there is less interference from visible light,\u201d Tian Xue<\/a>, senior author of the study and a neuroscientist at the University of Science and Technology of China, says in the statement.<\/p>\n

If you\u2019re thinking of Superman\u2019s iconic super-vision<\/a>, it\u2019s worth pointing out that the comic book hero can see X-rays, which are shorter than both infrared and visible light. On a more serious note, however, the practical applications of the new technology could be wide-ranging, from hands-free night vision for emergency responders and military personnel to detecting secret infrared messages.<\/p>\n

The researchers suggest their approach might even help people with color blindness by converting the visible colors they can\u2019t see into wavelengths they\u2019re able to perceive.<\/p>\n

However, the lenses aren\u2019t quite there yet. For now, users can only see intense near-infrared light projected from an LED source, and they can\u2019t pick up on small details or the much lower natural levels of infrared radiation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an audacious paper, but using just the contact lens, you wouldn\u2019t be able to read a book in the infrared or navigate down a dark road,\u201d Mikhail Kats<\/a>, an electrical and computer engineer at the University of Wisconsin-Madison who did not participate in the study, tells New Scientist<\/em><\/a>\u2019s Jeremy Hsu.<\/p>\n

Moving forward, the researchers aim to continue developing the contact lenses and eventually make them more sensitive.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis study opens the door to many exciting applications of wearable technology, potentially transforming how we see and interact with our environment, especially in challenging conditions,\u201d Han tells ABC News.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Get the latest stories in your inbox every weekday.<\/h3>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n