A combined smart contact lens and glasses augmented reality system, EMacula, which corrects vision and digitally enhances wearers’ surroundings is pending FDA approval as Phase II clinical trials and wearer testing are underway.

A personalised contact lens incorporates the wearer’s usual vision prescription and contains a small lens at its centre to enable the user to focus on digital content provided by near-eye micro-displays mounted within stylish, lightweight glasses.

Steve Wiley, CEO of developer Innovega, told Megagadget he expects the company’s AR glasses to succeed where Google Glass didn’t. “AR glasses have failed to meet even the most basic needs of the human wearer.” Wiley said the stylish, lightweight glasses have a “compelling” AR display that includes high-resolution media panoramic overlay/ Combined with vision correction lenses the system gives “an in-focus simultaneous view of both real-world and digital media.”

The US-based company has also designed an intra-ocular lens that could be surgically implanted during cataract surgery inside the eye, to give the user an improved view of their surroundings, plus an ability to view near-eye, high performance displays mounted in smart glasses.