Archive Page 3
February 17th, 2009 by Dan
Similar to the contact lens with at television screen in it, a variety of University of Washington developers are currently working on a contact lens that would allow interaction with a variety of different devices.
The development began after Babak Parviz, an expert in the field of electrical engineering, began to think about revolutionising the contact lens concept. Until recently, contact lenses were used primarily for correcting vision and it has only been the last few years that has seen coloured contact lenses become popular and worn for non-medical reasons. However, this section of the contact lens market is minimal, with medical contact lenses dominating overall. Parviz wondered whether it was possible to develop a contact lens that instead being manufactured to correct vision was created to enhance the wearer’s experience.
The ideas may seem a little farfetched at first – Parviz believes that contact lenses will eventually replace the need for most handheld devices – but when listening and understanding his ideas and theories, they seem completely plausible.
For example, one of Parviz’s ideas is to create a contact lens that will allow the wearer to be fully submerged in a gaming environment. Playing the latest computer games on a High Definition television seems immense – currently. But what would they seem like if there were no surroundings, as if the gamer was sat 2 inches from the television screen, but everything was in crystal clear focus?
Of course, Parviz’s developments are someway off being marketed yet, if not purely for the fact that our technology isn’t at the same level as his ideas. However, the wheels are in motion and it may be sooner than most would think that we are all wearing electronic contact lenses.
February 16th, 2009 by Dan
After the recent post regarding the possibility of television screens being designed and implemented into contact lenses, I thought it would be interesting to take a look at what the future holds for contact lenses on a wider scale.
When you consider the forward steps that the contact lens world has taken in the past 100 years (or even the past 50 years), in theory, the next couple of decades should bring some remarkable achievements with contact lenses.
A lot of research has already been carried, some behind closed doors (as well as barred windows in high security buildings) and some more freely available. Some of the ideas are no where near possible, due to the limitations we currently have in the technological department, whilst others are extremely close to being finished and finalised, ready to be brought on to the contact lens market.
For example, a group of students at the University of Florida have developed a contact lens that administers medicine at regular, pre-decided intervals. On first glance, these contact lenses appear to be no different than regular contact lenses. However, when looking more closely, the contact lenses are created with many nanoparticles which are full of the appropriate medicine. Furthermore, as the contact lenses are created with the medicine as part of the actual contact lens, no deterioration in vision is caused. There has been huge praise for this contact lens development, as compared to eye-drops where the majority of the medicine enters the patients bloodstream rather than the eye, these contact lenses should release the medicine solely into the eye, ensuring a quicker and more effective recovery.
February 13th, 2009 by Dan
In Part 1 of this two part series, we looked into the initial creation of contact lenses. In this second part, we’re going to look into what happens after the main contact lens has been created – the finishing, quality control checks and finally the packaging.
Finishing – after the contact lens has been created, either by moulding or lathing, the lens requires more specific curvature to be created for it fit comfortably on the wearer’s eye. As with the polishing part of the lathing process when creating the contact lens, the contact lens is placed upon an arbor where small slices are taken, followed by precise smooth finishing with emery paper.
Quality Control – further to the contact lens being created and finished, each contact lens must pass through a rigorous Quality Control procedure. This is carried out throughout the manufacturing process and once again at the end, by two separate procedures. Firstly, the contact lenses are viewed under a microscope to see any obvious problems. Secondly, a shadowgraph is created of the contact lens, which shows any issues with the contact lenses on a greater scale for easier viewing. Whilst some differences between contact lenses may be not be problematic (mainly for cosmetic contact lenses), if the contact lenses are custom made, it is extremely important that any issue or problem with the contact lens is discovered and amended before it is ready to be sold.
Packaging – before the contact lenses can be delivered to the store or pharmacy, they must be packaged to a certain standard. Generally, contact lenses are first boiled for hours and packaged in sterile material, with a saline solution. Once this process has taken place, the contact lenses are ready to be delivered and worn.
February 12th, 2009 by Dan
The process of manufacturing contact lenses can be split up into four separate areas – moulding or lathing, finishing, quality control and packaging. In Part 1 of this two part series, we’re going to take a look at the moulding and lathing processes.
When contact lenses are being created, there are two initial ways to create the contact lens – the moulding method and the lathing method. Both have their own benefits and both are still used to create contact lenses today.
Moulding – when contact lenses were first being produced by the moulding procedure, they were initially created by pouring a mixture of fluids into a rotating mould. The contact lens shape was created by both the mould itself and by how fast the mould was rotating.
Over the years, injection moulding was introduced, which is a much more reliable and easier means of creating contact lenses by moulding. In essence, the fluids are injected into a pressure mould at a high temperature, quickly removed and allowed to cool, with finishing taking place on a lathe. Extremely effective in creating high quality contact lenses in mass quantities, injection moulding has only been in use in recent years.
Lathing – A longer, but more finished process of creating contact lenses is by using a lathe for the full process. The contact lens material is mounted upon a lathe, which turns at a set speed and angle, allowing for the cutting tool to carry out its work and effectively make the actual contact lens. After the process, the lens is placed upon a separate machine where it is polished and coated to ensure no rough or uneven edges and to give it a safe finish.
February 11th, 2009 by Dan
Closing your eyes and drifting away to a different a place is so easy to do. Whether you’re on the bus or in the bath, flying on a trans-Atlantic flight or simply laid in bed, once you close your eyes you can be taken away to a world millions of miles away, that only you know about.
However, how would you feel if you could close your eyes, just like you would above, but instead of your own little world, you see a live NBA game? Or maybe the latest cinema release? Sounds crazy? Well, it may not be as crazy as you would think.
Future Laboratory Consultancy, a firm that advises companies on the latest technological advances, has compiled a report that in the not so distant future, it will be possible to have a TV screen inside a contact lens.
On the surface, the idea seems light years away. However, when in comparison to the forward steps the TV industry has made over the last 50 years, the next 50 years should bring some amazing feats. For example, it wasn’t until the 1950’s that colour televisions were being built safely and effectively. These televisions were, by today’s standards, unsightly and somewhat unwatchable. This was developed over the coming years and today we have ultra-thin, High Definition TV’s – available in screens that fit onto a digital watch face. If someone in the 1950’s was told that in a few decade’s time, they could be watching television on their watch, in such good quality they’ll think they’re in the programme, they would have bet their world that it’s impossible. Now compare that advance to what we could see by 2060 and the idea of Contact Lens TV seems utterly achievable and realistic.