Chinese researchers develop contact lenses that allow for infrared vision

Chinese researchers have developed the first contact lenses capable of granting infrared vision—and remarkably, they function even when the wearer’s eyes are closed. This breakthrough comes from a team led by scientists at the University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) in Hefei.

The lenses are infused with special nanoparticles that convert near-infrared light, which, according to an article on this technology published in the Nature platform, spans wavelengths from 800 to 1,600 nanometres. This turns it into visible light in the 400–700 nanometre range, making it detectable by the human eye. The production cost is estimated at about $200 USD per pair.

Published on 22 May in the Cell journal, the technology is being hailed as a game-changer. “It’s incredibly cool—just like something out of a sci-fi movie,” says Xiaomin Li, a chemist at Fudan University in Shanghai, who was not involved in the research. He adds that it could offer new ways to perceive and interact with the environment.

Near-infrared light falls just beyond the visual spectrum detectable by the human eye, though some animals are believed to sense it to a limited extent.

While night-vision goggles allow people to see infrared radiation, they are often heavy and require a power source. These new contact lenses bypass both issues and can generate full-colour infrared images, unlike traditional night-vision devices, which usually display in monochrome green.

Still, the lenses aren’t perfect and face some shortcomings. The nanoparticles embedded within them scatter light, leading to blurry images. To mitigate this, researchers embedded the lens technology into glasses equipped with extra lenses that help redirect light more precisely. However, another trade-off is that, unlike night-vision goggles which can amplify very faint infrared signals, the lenses only detect strong infrared sources like those from LEDs.

Despite these limitations, the research team sees significant potential for improvement and application. Co-author Yuqian Ma, a neuroscientist at USTC, suggests the lenses could help people read anti-counterfeit markings that emit infrared wavelengths invisible to the naked eye.

Study author Li envisions an entirely different use case: enabling surgeons to see cancerous tissue directly during near-infrared fluorescence procedures, eliminating the need for bulky imaging devices. “It could allow for real-time surgical precision,” he notes.

By Nazrin Sadigova