Contact Lenses

Contact Lenses

Contact Lenses - Making Their Mark On History

 

 

What many people do not realize is that contact lenses have been around for thousands of years, well at the least the idea of it has been. Who would have thought that Leonardo da Vinci actually came up with the idea, in the form of descriptions and sketches? Not many people would think or even believe that, but it is true. Leonardo da Vinci described and sketched various forms of modern contact lenses in the year 1508.

Through the years, the idea progresses and eventually we arrive at today's world where contact lenses are nearly just a part of every day life for many people. In 1632, a citizen of France, known as Rene Descartes research and discusses with others about a corneal contact lens. However, it was not until 1801 that someone actually tried to develop that idea. Thomas Young, using the idea, developed a contraption to answer his own vision problems.

Young created the contraption with a glass tube, filled with water, and on one end of the tube placed a microscopic lens. While this was the first steps towards the future and now modern day contact lenses, it was not until 1887 that someone actually suggests a smaller version. Sir John Herschel, an English Astronomer, created the idea for a contact lens that will conform to the surface of the eye, which involved grinding lenses of that period.

The very next year, a Paris optician, as well as a Swiss physician, Edouard Kalt and A. Eugen Fick respectively, separately, but at nearly the same time devise and release report suggesting that optical defects can be corrected with contact lenses. While progress was moving along with research, ideas, and theory, no one really took action in creating a smaller version of the contact lens.

That is, however, until 1929. A Hungarian physician by the name of Joseph Dallos actually devises and perfects the practice of using living eyes to make molds; allowing lenses to be created that will resemble the sclera of each individual more closely.

An optometrist in New York by the name of William Feinbloom created the first contact lenses made in America, using plastic, in 1936, and the rest paves the way to the modern world contact lenses. Since the first lens was created in 1936, the popularity has grown and science has allowed for technologically advanced lenses.

At one time contact lenses were flat until an optometrist in Oregan, Dr. George Butterfield, designed a lens to follow the shape of the eye. In 1971, the United States distributed soft lenses, thanks to research and development performed by Drahoslav Lim and Otto Wichterle.

The realm of contact lenses has grown so much that now there are now cheap contact lenses available for anyone. No matter your vision or eye problems, contact lenses can be a comfortable and stylish option to correcting your vision problems. For many, glasses are a thing of the past, contact lenses offer a more comfortable, less obtrusive answer to many optical issues. You can also wear contact lenses without prescription - for anything from halloween to other special effects lenses.

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