Contact Lenses with Tiny Bits of Gold May Protect Eyes

Scientists have developed contact lenses that contain gold nanoparticles, and they say the technology could be useful in several ways.

The lenses “absorb light and dissipate the energy,” Inside Science reports. That means they could protect against bright lights.

Scientists also hope that with further development, the concept may be useful for medication delivery or disease detection.

The approach might be useful in protecting the eyes against sunlight, lasers at concerts, and other day-to-day exposures, said lead researcher Miguel Correa-Duarte of the University of Vigo in Spain.

“This simple approach is, I think, quite powerful. There are plenty of options to develop new applications,” said Correa-Duarte.

The research was recently described in the journal Applied Materials Today.

Read more at Inside Science