History of Contact Lenses

The history of contact lenses began in 1508 when Leonardo da Vinci sketched the concept for this invention in his notepad. However, it was not until the 1800s that the first contact lenses inspired by da Vinci's idea were created to correct nearsightedness and farsightedness.

Glass Contact Lenses

• In the late 1800s, Swiss physician A.E. Fick and Paris Optician Edouard Kalt fit the first glass contact lenses on their patients to correct nearsightedness and farsightedness.

Hard Plastic Contact Lenses

• The glass lenses were heavy and could only be tolerated for a few hours at a time, so it was not until 1936, when New York Optometrist William Feinbloom introduced the use of plastic rather than glass to make hard plastic contact lenses, that contact lenses became popular.

Soft Contact Lenses

• Hard contact lenses decreased in popularity when Czechoslovakian chemist Otto Wichterle and his assistant Dr. Drahoslav Lim produced the first soft contact lenses in 1950, and today soft contact lenses continue to be the most commonly used type of contact lens.

Benefits

• Contact lenses are beneficial because they make it possible for people with sight imperfections to conduct their activities without being hassled by glasses. For example, athletes with nearsightedness or farsightedness are able to engage in contact sports due to contact lenses.

Fun Fact

• As contact lenses have evolved throughout history to become increasingly comfortable and effective, some contacts have also been designed to enhance or alter the appearance of wearers, from blue color to green color to pin balls, smiley faces and spider webs.

Famous Ties

• Many celebrities wear contact lenses to enhance their appearance. For instance, Paris Hilton, who is always shown with blue eyes, actually has brown eyes when she is not wearing her contact lenses. Also, actor Orlando Bloom famously wore blue contact lenses for his role as Legolas Greenleaf in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.