An Indian optometrist has created the world's first contact
lenses to be embedded with diamonds and gold.
The lenses are on sale now for INR 700,000 (£9,736) per pair,
creator Chandrashekhar Chawan has confirmed to Wired.co.uk. They
are part of the company's La SER Jewelry range and will be
available in four designs: 18 diamonds on white gold, 18 diamonds
on yellow gold, just white gold and yellow gold.
He added to the
Mumbai Mirror that the lenses, weighing 5g in total,
sit between 6mm and 9mm away from the cornea and hold water in
front of it to soothe the eye. Chawan's company, Shekhar Eye Research, says
that the design will not stop oxygen from getting to the eye; they
can be
customised to correct any visual impairment and are comfortable
to wear.
Only 3,996
lenses will be made but Chawan says that there are plans to
sell them outside of India. And he adds that the profits from the
sale of the lenses will be used to fund the treatment of people
suffering from
Stevens Johnson Syndrome -- a skin disease that usually results
from a drug reaction, mostly sulphur-based drugs. It affects the
tear glands in the eyes (glands that help to keep the eyes moist)
and leads to loss of vision.
So if you have a heart of gold and want eyes of gold (and
diamonds) to match -- order now. For the rest of us, it's off to
Boots to buy eye drops to put the sparkle back into our eyes.