History of Contact Lenses
It started with Da Vinci?

Have you ever wondered about the history of contact lenses? You know, how it came about, who's the genius that invented it, who in the world dared to stuff things down their eyelids back then?

I thought it'd be interesting to know such things. That's why I've made this page for those of you who are also keen to know! ;)

PS: Limited Time Offer: ACUVUE lenses up to 70% off!
Get Your Pair Today!

1508 - In his Codex of the eye, Manual D, the general principle of contact lenses came about when Leonardo da Vinci described about how the corneal power of the eye may be altered when it is submerged in a bowl of water.

1636 - René Descartes proposed to correct vision with a liquid-filled glass tube placed in direct contact with the cornea. But this idea didn't pick up since people couldn't blink with that device!

1801 - Thomas Young invented an eyecup that was filled with liquid too.

1845 - Sir John Herschel proposed 2 suggestions to correct eyesight; firstly using "a spherical capsule of glass filled with animal jelly", and secondly "a mould of the cornea" that may be made onto "some sort of transparent medium".

1887 - In the history of contact lenses, Adolf Eugen Fick successfully fitted the first pair of scleral contact shells made of brown glass in Zürich.

1888 - August Müller improved the type of lenses Adolf Eugen Fick made so that it could be worn longer, this time made with blown glass.

1930 - It was somewhere in this decade when polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA or Perspex/Plexiglas) was developed that plastic scleral lenses could be made. Dr. William Feinbloom then introduced plastic lenses that were lighter and more convenient.

1950 - In this decade, the first 'corneal' lenses came about. Being much smaller than their scleral predecessors, these contact lenses rested only on the cornea, and became widely accepted throught the '60s.

1971 - The FDA approved the use of 'Soflens' material. Yep, that's what we know as 'soft lens' today.

1999 - Silicone hydrogel was introduced, which has extremely high oxygen permeability, and the lenses could be worn for an extended period of time.

There you go, a brief history of contact lenses. Thanks to those scientists who work day and night to create better inventions that benefit mankind, we can see without glasses! ;)

Of course, people have different preferences, and some may like contacts, others may choose just to put on eyeglasses, and yet others prefer to go for surgery.

Return from History of Contact Lenses Page to Contact Lenses Page