First Wireless OLED Contact Lens for Retinal Examination

Electronics in Ophthalmology First Wireless OLED Contact Lens for Retinal Examination

2025-08-19 From Hendrik Härter | Translated by AI 2 min Reading Time

Related Vendors

Thanks to the contactless OLED contact lens for medical diagnostics, eyes can be monitored portably and non-invasively. It features an ultra-thin, flexible OLED that can capture patient-specific data in real-time. The contact lens aims to enable personalized and continuous medical care.

South Korean researchers have developed an ultra-thin, flexible OLED that enables permanent retina monitoring. (Symbolic image)(Image: freely licensed / Pixabay) — South Korean researchers have developed an ultra-thin, flexible OLED that enables permanent retina monitoring. (Symbolic image)
(Image: freely licensed / Pixabay)

Contact lenses not only provide sharper vision but also offer a mobile and non-invasive monitoring of health parameters in ophthalmology. Now, a team from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) has introduced the world's first wireless OLED contact lens for wearable diagnostics. Integrated directly into the lens are ultra-thin, flexible organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), an antenna for wireless power transfer, and a control chip.

The Technical Features

Wireless OLED contact lens from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).(Image: KAIST) — Wireless OLED contact lens from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).
(Image: KAIST)

The OLED layer of the contact lens is remarkably thin, six to eight times thinner than a human hair, yet it provides diffuse, uniform illumination. This thin-film technology ensures minimized heat generation and maximized safety. The contact lens features a wireless energy system, enabling decentralized power supply without cable connections. Integrated electronics within the lens control the OLEDs and process signals for electroretinography (ERG).

Tests showed that the surface temperature remains within the safe range below 81 °F to ensure the wearer's comfort and safety. The biocompatible materials used prevent unwanted biological reactions and ensure that the lens operates stably in various environmental conditions.

Benefits And Target Groups

The benefits of this technology particularly benefit patients who require regular retina examinations. Electroretinography (ERG) is simplified by requiring only the use of a lens, eliminating the need for large, specialized light sources. This significantly simplifies the traditional, complex ophthalmological diagnostic environment. ERG is an ophthalmological diagnostic method used to determine whether the retina is functioning normally. It is often used for diagnosing hereditary retinal diseases or assessing impairments in retinal function.

This breakthrough is likely to find applications in various areas, such as myopia treatment, analysis of eye signals, delivery of visual information through augmented reality (AR), and light-based neurostimulation. Patients benefit from a more comfortable, mobile, and flexible diagnostic method. Ophthalmologists and specialized clinics can also significantly benefit from this technology, as it simplifies the diagnostic process and can be used outside of specialized labs, thereby increasing efficiency.

Benefits for Developers

For developers, this technology provides valuable insights into the combination of electronics, materials science, and biomedical applications. The flexible integration of light sources into wearable devices opens up new application areas for wearables and drives innovation in personal health monitoring. This development also demonstrates interdisciplinary research approaches that can further promote technological advancements in related fields of medical technology.

According to Professor Yoo Seung-hyup, this development marks the first worldwide attempt to enable light-based optical diagnoses and treatments through intelligent contact lens technology. (heh)

Link: Further details on the OLED contact lens (English).

Subscribe to the newsletter now

Don't Miss out on Our Best Content

Business E-mail

Please enter a valid mailadress.

By clicking on „Subscribe to Newsletter“ I agree to the processing and use of my data according to the consent form (please expand for details) and accept the Terms of Use. For more information, please see our Privacy Policy. The consent declaration relates, among other things, to the sending of editorial newsletters by email and to data matching for marketing purposes with selected advertising partners (e.g., LinkedIn, Google, Meta)

Date: 08.12.2025

Naturally, we always handle your personal data responsibly. Any personal data we receive from you is processed in accordance with applicable data protection legislation. For detailed information please see our privacy policy.

Consent to the use of data for promotional purposes

I hereby consent to Vogel Communications Group GmbH & Co. KG, Max-Planck-Str. 7-9, 97082 Würzburg including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG (hereafter: Vogel Communications Group) using my e-mail address to send editorial newsletters. A list of all affiliated companies can be found here

Newsletter content may include all products and services of any companies mentioned above, including for example specialist journals and books, events and fairs as well as event-related products and services, print and digital media offers and services such as additional (editorial) newsletters, raffles, lead campaigns, market research both online and offline, specialist webportals and e-learning offers. In case my personal telephone number has also been collected, it may be used for offers of aforementioned products, for services of the companies mentioned above, and market research purposes.

Additionally, my consent also includes the processing of my email address and telephone number for data matching for marketing purposes with select advertising partners such as LinkedIn, Google, and Meta. For this, Vogel Communications Group may transmit said data in hashed form to the advertising partners who then use said data to determine whether I am also a member of the mentioned advertising partner portals. Vogel Communications Group uses this feature for the purposes of re-targeting (up-selling, cross-selling, and customer loyalty), generating so-called look-alike audiences for acquisition of new customers, and as basis for exclusion for on-going advertising campaigns. Further information can be found in section “data matching for marketing purposes”.

In case I access protected data on Internet portals of Vogel Communications Group including any affiliated companies according to §§ 15 et seq. AktG, I need to provide further data in order to register for the access to such content. In return for this free access to editorial content, my data may be used in accordance with this consent for the purposes stated here. This does not apply to data matching for marketing purposes.

Right of revocation

I understand that I can revoke my consent at will. My revocation does not change the lawfulness of data processing that was conducted based on my consent leading up to my revocation. One option to declare my revocation is to use the contact form found at https://contact.vogel.de. In case I no longer wish to receive certain newsletters, I have subscribed to, I can also click on the unsubscribe link included at the end of a newsletter. Further information regarding my right of revocation and the implementation of it as well as the consequences of my revocation can be found in the data protection declaration, section editorial newsletter.