TheHistoryOf.net

Contact lenses – new technology? Hardly! Would you believe, way back in 1508, Leonardo Da Vinci sketched and described several forms of contact lenses? Of course, we all know the results of Da Vinci’s insatiable curiosity – he was dedicated to discovering the mysteries of nature. That’s how he came to create the first record of putting a device on the eye to improve vision. He didn’t realize how “visionary” was his idea!

Although the idea of contact lenses had been developed, the technology had not. Step by step, the process was built through the years, from spectacles to today’s contact lenses. Let’s look at each of those steps.

• 1632 – A French philosopher, René Descartes, added to his deep reasonings, the idea of a corneal contact lens.
• 1704 – A French surgeon, Jean Méry, presented a paper to the French Royal Academy of Sciences, reporting that, by submerging the head of a living cat in water, the irregularities of the surface of the cornea were flattened by the water. We’re not sure how he came up with this idea – and we may not want to know! However, the discovery here was that the living eye could be neutralized, or corrected, and that is an essential part of optical contact systems.
• 1801 – Thomas Young, with his medical education, did experiments with light and glass. His conclusion resulted in the development of Descartes idea – a ¼-inch long, water-filled glass tube, which contained a microscopic lens at the outer end. He used this to correct his own vision.
• 1827 – An English astronomer, Sir John Herschel, introduced the idea of grinding a contact lens to conform exactly to the eye’s surface.
• 1887 – A German glassblower, F.E. Muller, manifested Sir John Herschel’s idea into an actual glass lens that covered the entire eye.
• 1888 – A. Eugen Fick, a Swiss physician, and Edouard Kalt, a French optician, simultaneously, but independently, used contact lenses to correct optical defects.

 

The modern-day contact lens is developed

A number of years went by until the technology was developed to create the contact lenses as we know them today. But finally, in 1929, Joseph Dallos, a Hungarian physician, perfected a method of making molds of living eyes and using them to form lenses that fit exactly to the shape of the eye.

Then the United States got into the act – the first hard plastic contact lenses made in America were introduced by William Feinbloom, a New York optometrist. They were quite bothersome and could only be tolerated for about 4 hours at which point they had to be removed to replace the saline solution that filled the space between the eye and the lens.

As time progressed, so did the science of contact lenses. 1950 marked the beginning of the modern-day contact lens. Dr. George Butterfield, an Oregon optometrist, designed a lens that rested right on the cornea and was smaller than the size of the iris. A buffer solution was no longer needed, so the lenses could be worn all day.

Up to this point, contact lenses had been made of hard plastic. Then, in 1960, a revolutionary change came – the soft, water-absorbing plastic contact lens. It was developed by Otto Wichterle, a Czech chemist. He used an unbelievable apparatus to make these lenses – a children’s building set and a phonograph motor! But it worked; and it was so inexpensive that he envisioned they could be worn on a disposable basis.

Technology shifts into high gear

With the United States’ acceptance of commercial distribution of contact lenses in 1971, the industry picked up speed. Nearly every year, there was a new development. Here’s how fast technology was developing new creations:

• 1978 – toric contact lens ( for astigmatism)
• 1979 – rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lens
• 1980 – tinted daily-wear soft contact lens
• 1981 – extended-wear soft contact lens
• 1982 – bifocal daily-wear soft contact lens
• 1983 – tinted RGP contact lens
• 1986 – extended-wear RGP contact lens
• 1987 – disposable soft contact lens
• 1987 – soft contact lens that changes eye color
• 1987 – multipurpose lens care products
• 1991 – planned replacement contact lens
• 1991 – daily-wear 2-week replacement contact lens
• 1992 – disposable tinted contact lens
• 1995 – daily disposable contact lens
• 1995 – RGP contact lens with low silicone content
• 1996 – disposable contact lens with ultra-violet absorber

Now that’s progress! And they’re not done yet. The history of contact lenses is still developing. Today soft and colored contact lenses are used for nearly every vision problem correctable with eyeglasses. Wouldn’t Leonardo Da Vinci be proud!

About The Author

Gareth Marples is a successful freelance copywriter providing tips and advice for consumers purchasing contact lenses, theatrical & specialty contact lenses and designer sunglasses by Gucci. His numerous articles offer moneysaving tips and valuable insight on typically confusing topics.