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Contact Lens Technology

Contact lens technology has come a long way from the hard contacts our parents wore. New lenses are lighter, easier to take care of, and do a better job of correcting vision problems.

  1. Ancient History

    • It may be hard to believe, but the concept of contact lenses is credited to Leonardo da Vinci in the 1500s.

    Glass

    • The first lenses were made of glass in the 1920s by Zeiss Optical Works of Jena, Germany. They could be worn only a short time as they did not allow the eyes to breath and caused irritation.

    Plastic Lenses

    • William Feinbloom created the first plastic contact lenses in 1936. He was also the first researcher to file a patent for bifocal and trifocal contact lenses.

    Soft Contact Lenses

    • In 1972, a hydrogel soft lens was placed on the market by the Bausch and Lomb company. This comfortable, thin lens has almost completely replaced the hard contacts of the past.

    Disposables

    • In 1987, Johnson & Johnson manufactured the first disposable contact lens under the Acuvue brand name.

    Bionic Lens

    • Scientist are constantly looking at how to improve on current contact technology. Per FoxNews.com (http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,323929,00.html) bionic lenses are now a possibility. Researchers have proven that an electronic circuit and lights can be installed in digital contact lenses without obstructing vision.

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