Researchers have given people a new way to see the world with infrared vision, thanks to innovative contact lenses that allow them to perceive light in a band of the electromagnetic spectrum invisible to the naked eye.
Unlike night vision goggles, these contact lenses don’t need power and can display both visible colours and infrared light simultaneously. They work by using tiny particles called upconversion nanoparticles that absorb infrared light and re-emit it as visible light.
The technology could help people with colour blindness and has numerous other applications, such as seeing secret messages sent by infrared light only visible to the wearer. While the lenses are not yet sensitive enough to see natural low levels of infrared light, future work aims to improve their effectiveness.
This breakthrough is part of a broader goal to extend human vision beyond its natural range. Humans can only perceive a narrow range of wavelengths, but other animals sense the world differently. With this technology, researchers hope to enhance our experience of the world and unlock new possibilities for people with colour blindness or other visual impairments.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/may/22/infrared-contact-lenses-super-vision