Not just space, James Webb Telescope tech benefits can be availed here on Earth

Recently, the James Webb Space Telescope grabbed the attention of the world by sharing images of the last moments of a star and also those of the Universe as it was billions of years ago- 13 billion years ago, to be exact. The tech used for the purpose is quite futuristic, but do you know that the same can be used on Earth to improve our health and wellbeing? Well, that is exactly what is happening. It has been revealed that the Telescope Mirror Tech used by James Webb Telescope also improves Lasik eye surgery precision and potential.

The tech used to make Webb’s mirrors has also been incorporated into Johnson & Johnson’s Vision’s design Refractive Studio, a device that takes precise eye measurements to map imperfections in visual pathways and cornea curvature. It has the capability to map the information uniquely to each patient’s eye.

According to the information gathered from J&J the Design Refractive Studio is now available to eye doctors in 47 countries, and the iDesign technology has enabled well over 18 million successful LASIK procedures worldwide. In case you are wondering, then know that the James Webb Telescope was years in the making and the tech has spread widely by its creators

In early 2000s the technology got started when Albuquerque, New Mexico-based subcontractor WaveFront Sciences worked with NASA to develop a system to measure deviations in Webb’s mirrors as they were being ground and polished to precise specifications.

Now here is what Lee Feinberg, optical telescope element manager for Webb at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Centre in Greenbelt, Maryland has to say, “The mirrors were one of the really critical technologies we needed to develop to enable the observatory.”

He further added, “We had to polish them in such a way that, when they cool down, they become the mirror shape that we want, We had to match the curvature of one mirror to the next, which was a very challenging problem.”