Bionic lenses give better than 20:20 vision

Post on 8th June 2015

A Canadian optometrist has invented a tiny bionic lens that is capable of enhancing eyesight so that wearers can see three times better than 20:20 vision, which could revolutionise eye care treatments.

The Ocumetics Bionic Lens is the brainchild of Dr Gareth Webb from British Columbia. The button-shaped lens can be injected into the eye painlessly in eight minutes in a procedure similar to cataract surgery.

The product has taken eight years to develop and features the patented Ocumetics camera optics system. A tiny bio-mechanical camera is able to shift focus from a close range object to optical infinity – as far as the eye can see – much faster than the human brain.

Dr Webb has explained: “This is vision enhancement that the world has never seen before.  If you can just barely see the clock at 10 feet, when you get the Bionic Lens you can see the clock at 30 feet away.”

As people get older, the lens inside the human eye often develops cloud patches as it decays over time, causing blurred vision, known as eye cataracts. Using the Bionic Lens removes the risk of cataracts.

Ocumetics Technology Corp claims the camera technology in the lens is able to produce three-dimensional visual landscapes in optical images that have been naturally formatted and with no time delay, eyestrain or headache.

By being able to offer 3D images directly to the eye, Webb hopes that the technology can be used for other applications, such as to create headsets that could replace mobile devices, TVs and computer display monitors.

It is hoped the Bionic Lens will be commercially available by 2017.

In the meantime, don’t forget to have your eyes regularly checked by your high street optician. To find your nearest Scrivens branch visit our homepage.