How 3D Printed Contact Lenses Will Change the Vision Industry

Humans today are surrounded by highly advanced pieces of technology. 3D printing is one of the emerging technologies that have gotten researchers to think of interesting and practical use-cases. Using 3D printing to create advanced contact lenses can change how people use technology every day.

An Additional Screen

Researchers are in the process of developing contact lenses similar to those from Lens.com that can handle electric currents. The plan is to create lenses that are made up of very thin and fragile layers that can display information. Similar to how some smart glasses can present text and images, these lenses would be able to display content without distracting the user. Real-time updates, such as driving directions, could appear in the corner, away from your main line of sight.

Having the ability to simply treat these contacts as an additional screen could be useful for content consumption. For example, being able to lay in bed and watch movies directly from your contacts could be more comfortable than viewing them from a phone, tablet, or even a TV.

When Can You Expect It?

This kind of technology is highly sophisticated and could take years to develop to a point where the transition would be as seamless, comfortable, and affordable as discount contact lenses. As with any new technology, early adopters would likely need to pay a premium for early access before the product becomes more polished and mass-produced for the average consumers. These lenses might not reach the price of discount contact lenses anytime soon but as the technology develops and becomes easier to produce, consumers can expect prices to slowly drop to more affordable levels.