Seeing with your eyes closed could be possible with infrared contact lenses

Scientists developed a simpler version of the night vision goggles, but it’s still a work in progress.

Because of their transparency, wearers can see infrared and visible light at the same time. It’s also been reported that users can see infrared vision even with their eyes closed.

The night vision lenses also don’t require a power source, which is needed with night vision goggles.

The new type of lenses was presented by researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China in an article published in Cell Press.

The research paves the way for non-invasive wearable devices that provide users with “super-vision,” shared Tian Xue, the neuroscientist and the senior author of the publication.

The lenses could be useful in a number of situations, one of which is to perceive information in security or rescue situations.

The lenses use nanoparticles to absorb low-frequency light, allowing wearers to see infrared wavelengths. Previously, the researchers injected these nanoparticles into the mice's retina to enable infrared vision. They later worked on a less invasive option for humans.

This is how they’ve come up with contact lenses, which are created by combining nanoparticles with a material used in regular contact lenses – polymers. After making sure that these contacts are not toxic, the scientists tested the lenses on mice and humans.

The test showed that mice with contact lenses could see infrared wavelengths, as they preferred the dark box over an infrared-illuminated box. When it comes to humans, the test showed that with lenses, wearers could detect flashing signals and see where the infrared light was coming from.

During the test, the scientists also noticed that when a person closes their eyes, they can receive this flickering light even better with near-infrared light reaching the eyelid more efficiently, as there’s less visible light interference.

Researchers also color-coded different infrared wavelengths, making it easier for color blind people to see more details in the infrared spectrum.

Nevertheless, because the lenses are too close to the retina, their wearers can’t see things in detail. This prompted researchers to create a wearable glass system that allows users to see their surroundings in higher resolution.

The scientists' next step is to figure out how to increase the sensitivity of the lenses' nanoparticles to catch light of lower sensitivity, as now they can only pick up light from an LED light source.