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History of Contact Lenses

• 1508 - Leonardo DaVinci introduced the principle of a contact lens by describing how the refractive power of the eye could be changed by direct contact with water.
• 1801 - Thomas Young created the predecessor to contact lenses. He attached a water-filled glass tube to a tiny lens which he fitted to his own eye.
• 1887 - German physiologist, Adolf Fick, constructed the first successful contact lenses. They corrected short and longsightedness, but were made from heavy brown glass and covered the entire eye, so could only be worn for a few hours at a time.
• 1936 - New York Optometrist, William Feinbloom, created lenses which were a combination of glass and plastic. They were smaller and more convenient.
• 1949 - The first corneal lenses were developed. These were made entirely of plastic (PMMA) and only covered the cornea, not the entire visible surface of the eye. They were more comfortable and could be worn for longer.
• 1960s - PMMA corneal lenses began to have mass appeal as lens designs and manufacturing technology became more sophisticated. They could be worn for up to 16 hrs a day.
• 1961 - Czech chemist, Otto Wichterle, successfully produced the first 'soft' hydrogel lenses.
• 1971 - Soft lenses became commercially available, and were soon prescribed more often than rigid lenses due to their immediate comfort.
• 1978 - The first toric lenses became commercially available.
• 1980 - Colour tinted contact lenses were introduced.
• 1981 - Extended wear lenses were developed.
• 1982 - Bifocal soft contact lenses became available.
• 1995 - Daily disposable soft contact lenses were launched.
• 1997 - D&A's Contact Lenses By Post (CLBP) scheme, the first direct supply package from an Opticians, was piloted.
• 1998 - CLBP was fully launched in all D&A Branches, after the success of the pilot scheme.
• 1998 - The first multifocal soft contact lenses were introduced.
• 1999 - The launch of the first silicone hydrogel lenses, new material with extremely high oxygen permeability for increased comfort and extended wearing times.
• 1999 - New warehouse opened in Jersey, to dispatch CLBP orders.
• 2000 - Call centre operation for CLBP customers expanded to offer a better, fuller service.
• 2007 - Second CLBP warehouse opened in Glasgow.
• 2008 - 10th Anniversary of Contact Lenses By Post.

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