Origin of Contact Lenses

Buying contact lenses can be a very exciting time for a person because it changes the way they see everything. The world can be seen in a way that has little distortion, things are their correct size, and all is seen at the proper distances. In a way, it is a type of shell shock when the contacts are in and the person sees the world for the first time through them. But who invented the contact lens? Where did it come from? These are good questions since it is a mystery as to who developed the concept of the contact lens. However, you may be surprised at the history of these little round pieces of plastic that allows millions of people to see the world as it is.

The reason why it is a debate as to who developed the concept is because Leonardo da Vinci had sketched what he thought a lens that fits over the eye should look like. Then Rene Descartes came up with the idea of the contact lens in 1632. Of course at that time, nothing ever came of it until 1801 when Thomas Young developed a way to correct his own vision. He did this by putting a microscopic lens at the end of a glass tube that was filled with water.

However, 1887 and 1888 were the years in which larger strides were made to develop a contact lens and free those who felt they were restricted by their spectacles. These were the years in which glass contact lenses were made, but they were not comfortable. They only corrected a small number of vision problems, so they weren't exactly considered a success. What they were considered was a step in the right direction.

It wasn't until 1948 when Kevin Touhy immediately figured out that contact lenses could be constructed from the new polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) that showed up on the market. He was awarded the patent for the first plastic contact lenses and was much more comfortable than the glass contact lenses that had been developed sixty years before. However, it was in 1961 that Czechoslavakian Otto Wichterle developed the soft contact lens and that lens continues to be the choice of contact lens wearers. But the hard contact lens continued to be used until the soft contact lens hit the market in 1971.

Contacts continued to evolve after people all over the world started taking advantage of the soft contact lens. In 1978, gas permeable lenses were made available. These lenses are hard contact lenses that allow oxygen to flow freely through them to the cornea. This is important to allow the eye to breathe. However, the contacts could only be worn for short periods of time. It wasn't until 1981 when contacts were approved for extended wear. Still, the contacts had to be thrown away every week. If worn too long, then the wearer risked an eye infection. In 1986, the overnight wear of gas permeable contacts was approved.

But it was in 1987 that the disposable contact was introduced. These soft lenses could be worn anywhere from a single day to up to two weeks before being thrown away. It was suggested that they be taken out at night and put in every morning in order to allow the eye to receive 100% oxygen at night. These contacts are still used today, but there have been others introduced on the market.

In 2001, the extended wear disposable contact that allowed wear for up to 30 days without removing the contacts at night were introduced on the market. Now wearers are able to see 24/7. Some wearers are not able to wear these lenses, so they continue to use the two week extended wear, but these contacts have once again changed how the world sees.

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