Just like a camera phone, a new optical device developed by a team of scientists in Switzerland has a zoom option that can magnify distant objects up to almost 3 times larger. The project, developed at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne, is hoped to benefit the millions of people suffering from vision impairment and loss.

This is not the first lenses with telescopic properties to be developed, but previous models are very bulkily mounted on glasses. The new model – the prototype of which was completed in 2013 – is only 1.55 mm thick. It can also track movement of the eyes and head to maintain the correct zoom level even while the wearer is moving, which previous models could not do. Microscopic reflective surfaces in the lens can redirect light when activated to create a zoomed-in image.

The research, originally intended for use with drones, was funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. The latest version is designed to make the lenses easier to wear for long periods of time. Tiny pores allow oxygen flow to the eyeball, although the lenses are bigger and more rigid than traditional contacts. The zoom function is activated by deliberately winking the right eye, and normal vision is restored by winking the left. Sensors in a pair of glasses worn with the lenses are able to distinguish pronounced eyelid movement from quick, involuntary blinks.

Almost 285 million people around the world suffer from visual impairment in some form. The leading cause of sight trouble and blindness is age-related macular regeneration (AMD). The researchers developing the project are concerned with making people as comfortable as possible while wearing the new equipment.

“It’s very important and hard to strike a balance between function and the social costs of wearing any kind of bulky visual device,” said Eric Tremblay, leader of the research team. “There is a strong need for something more integrated, and a contact lens is an attractive direction. At this point this is still research, but we are hopeful it will eventually become a real option for people with AMD.”