The Discovery of the Contact Lens

The Discovery of the Contact Lens

By: Melissa Beasley

Curricular Fit: Biology 30: The Nervous System

It all started in the 4^th century B.C., when Roman tragedian Seneca was alleged to have read "all the books in Rome" through a water-filled glass globe, which magnified the images he was reading. This convex lens device allowed for the realization that bent glass can magnify or shrink images placed underneath it. The concave lens (used for nearsightedness, or myopia) was introduced much later in the 16^th century A.D. The history of eyeglasses paved the way for the discovery of the contact lens.

In 1508, Leonardo da Vinci sketched and described his ideas regarding the correction of vision problems, what we know today as the contact lens. It took until 1825 when Sir John Hershel suggested that glass lenses could be shaved to fit directly on the eye surface. In approximately 1888, the first contact lenses, made from glass, were used to correct optical defects. These thick, glass lenses fit directly on the eye and were very uncomfortable to wear, especially for long periods of time. In 1936, William Feinbloom invented the first plastic variety of a contact lens. These lenses were much more comfortable than the glass lens, but still were not used for long-term wear due to irritation and the lack of permeability (they did not allow oxygen and tears to get to the eye surface).

It took until 1952 when Otto Wichterle, a teacher and researcher from the University of Chemical Technology in Czechoslovakia, was experimenting with plastic-type substances and gels. Wichterle was attempting to create a cross-linking hydrophilic gel that would be suitable for use in eye implants. Successful in his study, Wichterle created a "hydrogel" that was permeable to oxygen and tear fluid and that could be made in thin, cross-linking sheets. In 1958, Wichterle and his associate teachers had to leave the University due to political turmoil under the Communist leadership. This removal halted any further research on the hydrogel. Near the end of 1961, Wichterle had still not returned to the University to research his discovery, so instead he researched the "hydrogel" at home. Using one of his young children’s construction sets, Wichterle was able to make a bowl-shaped lens from the "hydrogel" he had created. Ten years later, Wichterle’s discovery was called the soft contact lens and became available for commercial distribution. Since 1971, contact lenses come in different varieties, from coloured to disposable and even a recent invention, the bifocal contact lens.

Questions for Discussion:

1. Do/Can scientific discoveries occur overnight? Why or Why Not?

2. Where do scientific studies occur (i.e. laboratory, field, etc…)?

3. Can the improvement of an idea (in this case, going from the glass contact lens to the "hydrogel" contact lens) be considered a "scientific discovery"? Explain your answer.

4. Once a scientific discovery has been made, social and political factors can slow down further investigation of the discovery. In the case of Otto Wichterle, what social and political problems did his scientific research face? Give an example of a scientific study that may be halted due to social and/or political influence.

5. Can different disciplines of science (medicine, chemistry, physics, etc.) overlap? Provide examples from the above story, as well as examples that you have encountered in your life.

References

Ritter B., et al. (1993) Biology. Nelson Canada

Chasnoff I.J., Ellis J. W., Fainman Z.S. and Giacona N. (1987). Medical Symptoms and Treatments. Publications International, Skokie IL.

http://www.eye.utmem.edu/history/glass.html

http://www.math.grin.edu/%7Evick/sca/glasses.html

http://www.vscht.cz/historie/otto_wichterle_a.htm

http://www.cas.cz/asc/aa/pages/wichterl.htm

http://www.contactlenscouncil.org/pcon-history.htm

http://www.contactlenses.org/timeline.htm