2315 iPlant

It's pretty amazing how science keeps offering newer and more interesting ways to fix our aging bodies. But we don't just need to be thankful for techno-materials in our hips and knees or pacemakers in our chests, we can now have high tech implants in our corneas too.

By the way, isn't it interesting how the hard-driving folks that had alloy wheels in their youth are now getting alloy joint replacements? 

Back to eyes. There's lots of folks who've had Lasik surgery and survived the process with remarkably better vision. Some have actually had Lasik more than once, as the aging process continues to make their eyes worse and they need to go back in to be re-Lasiked. Like another face tuck after each decade of progressive turkey neck.

Well Lasik has always fallen short in the reading glasses department. Correcting either far-sightedness or near-sightedness doesn't address the bad all-sightedness of getting older. ReVision Optics has designed a solution. It's called the "raindrop" inlay. 

It's no larger than the head of a pin and it's inserted directly into your cornea in a virtually painless procedure that takes just 10 minutes. If approved by the FDA it could replace laser surgery for the age-related flattening of the cornea known as presbyopia. Which I always thought was a malady exclusive to Presbyterians. Raindrops are actually made from the gel they use for contact lenses. 

Amazing. Bifocals implanted right in your eyes. No more wearing granny glasses around your neck so you don't misplace your readers. I think marketing-wise, instead of "Raindrops" they should call them something like "Insights" though.

Just another step in our path to the cyborg. Micro-computer fibers embedded in the Raindrop will be next. And creeping toms won't have to wear dead-giveaway Google glasses anymore.

America, ya gotta love it.