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Wouldn’t we all aspire to achieve a perfect 20/20 vision, and have it remained so for the rest of our lives? Well, that dream could just become a reality in the near future! Don’t believe it?

A company called Ocumetics Technology Corp have developed an intraocular medical device called ‘Bionic Lens’, which on incorporation by an eight-minute surgical procedure claims to provide up to three times better vision, in comparison to what is said to be perfect eyesight, both in terms of definition and visual acuity. In an interview, optometrist and CEO of Ocumetics, Dr. Gareth Webb, said, “This is vision enhancement that the world has never seen before.”

 

 

The project took eight years, with $3 million being spent on research and development of the product, which could, ultimately, revolutionize the worlds of optometry and ophthalmology. With the advent of these contacts, we would never have to struggle to read fine print or squint while reading signboards in the distance! As affirmed by the company: “If you can barely see a clock when it is 10 feet away, with the Bionic Lens you can see the clock at 30 feet.”

The Bionic Lens Technique

Taking away the discomfort of contact lenses and spectacles and negating side effects such as risk of cataract from Lasik, this innovative yet simple procedure, developed by the Canadian organization, involves the use of a trademark button-sized Bionic Lens. Earlier lenses that were inserted into humans to treat myopic vision sometimes led to decay and deterioration of the eyes and resulted in a low quality of vision, over time. Also, due to toxicity issues, there was, sometimes, irreparable damage done to the endothelial cells of the eyes. The Ocumetric lens, in contrast, contain biocompatible materials that do not cause any such harm, and profess to solve, in a single shot, conditions such as myopia, farsightedness, astigmatism, presbyopia, etc. Since it requires just 1/100th of the energy compared to previous models, there is also no strain on the eyes while the user is concentrating.

The procedure involves a surgeon replacing the natural lens with the customized electromechanical lens, which can be made to order for individual preferences. This is achieved by means of a saline injection directly into the eye through a tiny 2.7 mm incision. It is then left to settle for about 10 seconds, and voila, job done! The device also helps auto-regulate in the eyes by a muscular movement that changes of curvature and focus, as required. The process is just like that of a cataract operation.

Future of the Lens

Although yet to undergo clinical trials, the product looks promising according to experts in the field. As Dr. Vincent DeLuise, a professor at Yale, mentioned to CBC News, “There’s a lot of excitement about the Bionic Lens from very experienced surgeons who perhaps had some cynicism about this because they've seen things not work in the past. They think that this might actually work and they're eager enough that they all wish to be on the medical advisory board to help him on his journey.”

After clinical testing in the United States, Canada and some other nations and if safe and successful on participants, it will be brought into the market for evaluation by health authorities to implement in various countries around the world. This study opens up potential research for the other five senses and permanently improving different parts of the body too.

So, until this bionic “superhuman” lens releases, hold on to your existing, to-be-obsolete vision enhancers!

Top image: Blue Machine Look Mechanical Eye Lens Bionics (Public Domain)

References:

Dyck, D. (2017), IFLScience!, http://www.iflscience.com/health-and-medicine/can-procedure-give-you-superhuman-vision/, (accessed 13 Oct 2017)

Curiosity (2017), https://curiosity.com/topics/this-bionic-lens-could-give-you-superhuman-vision-curiosity/, (accessed 13 Oct 2017)

FutureScope.Co (2017), https://www.futurescope.co/bionic-lens/, (accessed 13 Oct 2017)

Zareva, T. (2017), BigThink, http://bigthink.com/design-for-good/a-bionic-lens-undergoing-clinical-trials-could-give-you-superhuman-abilities-in-two-years, (accessed 16 Oct 2017)

Ocumetric Technology Corp, http://ocumetics.com, (accessed 13 Oct 2017)

Meghna's picture

Meghna Rao, MSc

A postgraduate in Bioscience with work experience in research and communications in the fields of science, health and medicine. Her specializations include writing and developing scientific material for websites, blogs, and other print and digital media, content curation and management, and medical proofreading and editing. She also has a fair knowledge in marketing communications and science journalism. Also, Meghna is passionate about yoga, working with non-profits and travel blogging. Read More

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