Ir contact lenses are special contact lenses that differ from normal contact lenses in terms of function. This type of contact lens allows poker players to see invisible marked cards. It looks like the normal contact lenses but there is some special material in the center, which can see the marked cards.
In a recent study, researchers used graphene – a sheet of the strongest material on earth that can sense light in all spectrums – to create an integrated infrared device small enough for contact lenses. The detector is based upon a layer made of carbon atoms, which absorbs only 2.3% of the light it receives. This allows the sensor to have a thickness of less than 1 micrometer, or about a quarter of the thickness of human hair.
Graphene can detect changes to the shape and thickness on the lens and in the tear layer as well as the effects on the eye. The sensor is embedded by thermal crosslinking in a silicone-elastomer contact lenses and connected to a wireless power system, communication systems, and an application-specific integrated chip on a poly (ethylene terephthalate), terephthalate (PET) passivated film.
The retinal epithelium is stimulated by the far red/NIR LED to produce nitric oxygen (NO) and dilate vessels. This photobiomodulation helps prevent vascular occlusion in diabetics, which can lead to vision loss. The smart wireless far red/NIR LED contact lens may also be effective in treating other ocular diseases, such as glaucoma and age-related macular degeneration, by modulating the vascular response.