As this piece says, the idea of a contact lens with a built-in camera is pretty cool technology. And applying for patent protection is clear evidence of early forward planning for the possibility it’ll be a commercial proposition – applying after the cat’s out of the bag is legally too late in most places. But cool and applying for patents doesn’t necessarily mean a development is actually going to get further than the hypothetical. A contact lens with integrated camera has clear societal issues, and that’s likely to be one of a list of factors that will be weighed in the balance.