Scientists develop prototype contact lenses that allow wearers to zoom in and out

Scientists are developing new contact lenses that could give wearers superhero-like vision. The revolutionary lenses would allow individuals to zoom in and out, but which may also offer hope to thousands of elderly people suffering from vision loss.

The prototype lenses, presented at the American Association for the Advancement of Science’s yesterday in San Jose, California, contain tiny aluminium telescopes that would interact with a pair of specially designed glasses to allow you to toggle between normal and ‘zoomed in’ viewing.

The operating instructions tell users to wink the right eye to zoom in and the left to zoom out.

The lenses, which were first developed with the US Defence Advance Research Projects Agency as super-thin cameras for aerial drones, have been retooled as a possible solution for those with age-related macular degeneration.

“At this point, it is still research but we are very hopeful it will eventually become a real option for people with age-related macular degeneration,” Mr Tremblay told the Daily Mail.

However, before the lenses can be rolled out scientists need to create a lighter, more ‘breathable’, version.