'Super-vision' contact lenses let wearers see in the dark

Scientists have created night-vision contact lenses that they claim can grant people 'super-vision.'

- BEN TURNER

The lenses, which use nanoparticles to absorb low-frequency light before emitting it in the visible spectrum, enable wearers to see infrared wavelengths otherwise invisible to the human eye. And unlike traditional night-vision goggles, they don't require a power source.

First used in night combat during World War II, traditional night-vision goggles use an electronic image-intensifier tube to turn visible light or near-infrared photons into electrons. These electrons are then channelled onto a luminescent screen, causing it to glow green. But these goggles typically need an energy source, which makes them bulky. Infrared goggles are also unable to precisely distinguish light across the infrared range, especially those at longer wavelengths.