
A major, early-stage advancement in vision technology comes to us now from South Korea, where researchers created a contact lens that repairs scratches automatically when exposed to sunlight.
A scratched lens can mean an expensive replacement, but the UV light-activated hydrogel can repair these small imperfections in under an hour.
The technology also offers greater durability and an antibacterial coating to create a robust and resistant, superior contact lens.
Researchers Jung-Hyun Choi and Byung-Ki Cho used the already widely-employed hydrogel to create their new prototype contact lenses while redesigning the complex polymer structure. Through a process known as disulfide exchange, UV light at a wavelength of 365 nanometers causes sulfur bonds in the gel to temporarily break apart and reconnect with neighboring atoms.
Before and after photos released in a study presenting their invention show how these new connections equate to a repaired scar on the surface of the lens.
Choi and Cho explain that eventually, the lenses could be repaired at home as well—through UV light from devices used to cure nail polish,
