[Philip Lelyveld comment: I saw Innovega at CES.  Their solution projects an image onto the back of glasses and the contacts enlarge the image so wearer can focus on both the image and their normal field of view.  This is the concept.  They were far from a working prototype.  Vuzix is ahead of them in R&D.]

[TruthDive]

Contact lenses, which are being designed by scientists using military funding, help enhance normal vision with megapixel 3D panoramic images.

The researchers added that for those who do not want to rely on contact lenses, future versions could involve lenses directly implanted within the eye.

Now, researchers from Washington-based company Innovega, funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Science Foundation, are developing novel contact lenses that can help view tiny full-colour megapixel displays.

“Over the past months, we have demonstrated contact lens-enabled eyewear for mobile devices, including smart phones, portable game devices and media players that deliver panoramic, high-resolution experiences for entertainment and planned augmented reality applications,” Discovery News quoted Steve Willey, chief executive officer of Bellevue, Innovega as saying.

The new system consists of advanced contact lenses working in conjunction with lightweight eyewear. Normally, the human eye is limited in its ability to focus on objects placed very near it.

The contact lenses contain optics that focus images displayed on the eyewear onto the light-sensing retina in the back of the eye, allowing the wearer to see them properly.  …

Read the full story here: http://truthdive.com/2012/02/04/Soon-virtual-reality-contact-lenses-to-offer-3D-panorama.html