Contact lenses of the not-so-distant future will not only help people read text messages – they will also let people receive them.

European scientists have developed technology that allows electronic messages sent from mobile phones to be projected onto a contact lens while in the eye.

The spherical curved LCD display, created by researchers at Ghent University in Belgium, handles projected images using wireless technology.

The first demonstration showed a dollar sign on the lens, but scientists believe there will be displays with the same detail as a TV screen within “a few years”, suggesting there could be opportunities for entrepreneurs.