Causes of Cataracts

Contact lenses embedded with diamonds?  Now that’s a new way of looking at the world.

It sounds like something out of a fiction book – but the word on the internet is that an entrepreneurial optometrist in India has made the world’s first contact lens from pure gold and diamonds!.  Now, does that put a twinkle in your eye?.

But with diamonds being one of the hardest substances in the world, and gold being not exactly lightweight – it all sounds quite ‘heavy going’.  It doesn’t quite match up to the notion of contact lenses – which are so enormously popular because they’re so comfortable, unobtrusive and easy to wear.

But, we are told that these incredible lenses are very wearable.   The report from the website, wired.co.uk says that the creator, Chandrashekhar Chawan designed the lenses to sit several millimetres away from the cornea, which protects it and also allows sufficient lubrication.  However, each lens apparently weighs around five grams, so that may be a ‘heavy’ price to pay for eye-bling.

Only a select few will be able to claim these limited edition contacts – so they may become real collectors’ items.   The contacts will apparently be functional as well as fabulous, with the manufacturers custom-making each pair to suit the buyer. 

There is a ‘heart of gold’ motivating these extraordinary lenses however – with proceeds from the sale of them going towards medical research into a disease which can cause loss of vision.

Whilst contact lenses may not have been the focus of attention when it comes to jewelled accessories, there have been many times in the past where other types of eyewear have been embellished with precious stones and other adornments to ramp up the ‘bling’ factor.                                                          

The gift of sight is one of the most precious of all – and for many people who have problematic eyesight, the availability of contact lenses is more precious than any diamond.   Gold and diamond encrusted contacts may be an eye-catching innovation – the real good news story is how contact lenses make a meaningful difference to millions of ordinary people every day.

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