A variety of handheld tools are available to help people insert and remove contact lenses, but even those may not be useful for people with dexterity challenges due to age or medical issues. To address that, Craig Hershoff of Aventura, Florida developed a voice-activated robotic device to insert his own scleral lenses, a special kind of large-diameter lenses for certain vision problems. From Local 10 News:
"We've tried the device on elderly people, I'm elderly too, and it really helps with dexterity. They've all liked it and appreciate how well it works," Hersoff said.
The Cliara Lens Robot is currently going through testing at a clinical trial in Boston.
Depending on the outcome of the trial, Hershoff hopes to have FDA clearance on the device early next year.