Diseases that cause blindness, such as glaucoma, are treatable if they're caught early. Unfortunately, not everybody goes to get their eyes checked all that often if they think nothing's wrong. That's why a couple of researchers at UC Davis have designed a contact lens that can check on your eyes to make sure nothing's wrong and also dispense medication automatically when needed.

Glaucoma develops as a result of raised pressure in the eye, so these new lenses can detect this pressure and mark warning signs. When they notice something's amiss, they send the data to a computer wirelessly. It can notify your doctor that something is wrong without you ever having to go in for a checkup. Now that's progress, eh?

MedGadget, via io9