Japan group eyes practical use of smart contact lens in 2030
A new industry-academic alliance is working to develop contact lenses that can display data and support medical monitoring, with safety and comfort a key focus.
- A Japanese consortium, including universities and contact lens maker Seed Co., aims to commercialise smart contact lenses around the year 2030.
- The technology is being developed to display data and images in the user's field of view and will transmit information wirelessly to a peripheral device.
- A primary focus for the lenses is medical use, such as monitoring glaucoma by measuring intraocular pressure or tracking hyperglycemia in diabetic patients.
The head of a Japanese consortium established to expedite the development of smart contact lenses said Friday (April 10) that the group aims to put such products into practical use around 2030.
"While foreign information technology giants have led the development of smartphones and smart glasses, we want to spread smart contact lenses from Japan to the rest of the world," Yasuhiro Takaki, head of the Smart Contact Lens Consortium, said at the group's inaugural meeting in Tokyo.
"We hope to put them into practical use around 2030," said Takaki, professor at Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology.
The consortium comprises the university and other entities such as Waseda University and Japanese contact lens maker Seed Co.
The consortium aims to integrate minute electronic components into contact lens while advancing research and development to display data, including images, in the field of view and promoting the technology for medical use.
It will focus on research projects to be commissioned by the National Institute of Information and Communications Technology, supervised by the internal affairs ministry.
The development of smart contact lens began overseas around 2008, but the lens that measures intraocular pressure is the only product now available in Japan and abroad.
According to Waseda University professor Takeo Miyake, measuring intraocular pressure can help monitor the progress of glaucoma, the leading cause of blindness in Japan. Hyperglycemia, leading to diabetic retinopathy, may also be tracked with a smart contact lens.
The electronic components to be incorporated into the smart contact lens will wirelessly transmit data to and from a peripheral device worn around the head or neck. The peripheral device will be wirelessly connected to smartphones.
Challenges include ensuring the comfortable use of the smart contact lens and the safety for the eyes, Takaki said.
[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
