from Hacker News

Infrared contact lenses allow people to see in the dark, eyes closed

by joak on 5/23/25, 4:00 AM with 10 comments

• by 4gotunameagain on 5/23/25, 5:42 AM

  Mega clickbait title, but still very interesting sci-fi level research tech:

    Currently, the contact lenses are only able to detect infrared radiation projected from an LED light source

• by az09mugen on 5/23/25, 5:43 AM

  "In humans, the infrared contact lenses enabled participants to accurately detect flashing morse code-like signals and to perceive the direction of incoming infrared light."

  Not what I expected from the title but interesting and also I wonder what would be the applications.

• by greatgib on 5/23/25, 6:39 AM

  I'm wondering what would be the feeling to have closed eyes and still see sometimes/have some visual activity. Like not be able to rest from vision even with closed eyes.

• by jokethrowaway on 5/23/25, 10:44 AM

  This is a great first step!

  But even if they get something cooler working it would still take 20 years before we see them emerge out of testing (if ever).

  I'm still waiting to get supervision with https://ocumetics.com/ and they're stuck doing and redoing tests

  They do get acquired every once and then so I suspect they are being stalled with wads of cash so that they don't destroy the eyewear sector

• by fractallyte on 5/23/25, 9:26 AM

  Echoes of "Sinister Barrier" by Eric Frank Russell, a famous 1940s SF novel (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sinister_Barrier).

  If scientists begin dying mysteriously, these researchers might be onto something! ;-)

• by vintermann on 5/23/25, 10:03 AM

  Hats off to the researcher who managed to put contact lenses on mice.