Nnew filters protect eyesight

Strong light, artificial or natural, can damage our eyes. But now, Celia Sanchez Ramos, a professor at Complutense University in Madrid, has come up with an answer. Yellow light filters in contact lenses protect the retina and help prevent blindness. The invention has just won “Best Invention of the Year 2009” from the World Intellectual Property Organisation.

The filters are completely invisible when worn but they do not affect colour perception. The filter can also be used for windows, car windscreens, motorcycle helmets, and helmets for welders who spend all day looking at blue light. Tests are on-going and contracts are now underway to market the lenses, which developers say could be on sale in about 18 months.