Scientists give mice ‘super vision’ by eye injections

Giving mice ‘super powers’ to see at night, scientists have given the animals ‘super vision’ through injecting nanoparticles in eyes.

Researchers at the University of Science and Technology of China injected tiny nanoparticles in test mice’s eyes that bind the retina into the eyeballs, hence giving them what the team calls ‘super vision’.

The team injected ‘ocular injectable photoreceptor-binding upconversion nanoparticles’ into the eyes of the animals. After the injection, the mice were able to see normally invisible near-infrared light effectively extending ‘mammalian vision’, as per the study published in the journal Cell.

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In comparison, both humans and mice are normally unable to perceive light with wavelengths longer than 700 nanometers. The nanoparticles absorbed light with longer infrared wavelengths to convert it into shorter wave light that retinal cells can detect, which peaks at a wavelength of 535 nanometers, explained New Scientist.

The nanoparticles bound with the retinal cells responsible for converting light into electric signals. To test the process, the team shined infrared light straight into the mice’s eyes to see if they would react. Their pupils that were injected with the nanoparticles pupils contracted, portraying that they could ‘see’ the infrared light. In contrast, pupils of mice without the injection didn’t contract.

Fortunately, the eye injection did not even interfere in any way with the mice’s normal eyesight and no such harm was noticed, reported Futurism.

Moreover, scientists predict that these kinds of nanoparticles could help repair vision in humans who experience loss of retinal function or red color blindness. Also, it could prove way less invasive than the other conventional vision repair methods, and also with fewer side effects.