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The mysterious origin of contact lenses: Who was the first creator in history?
Contact lenses, or "contact lenses" for short, are small lenses placed directly on the surface of the eye. Today, more than 150 million people around the world use contact lenses. These lenses can not only correct vision, but can also be used for cosmetic or therapeutic purposes. Purpose. In 2010, the global contact lens market was estimated at $6.1 billion, while the U.S. soft contact lens market was $2.1 billion. Research analysis indicates that the global contact lens market will grow to $11.7 billion in 2015.
People choose to wear contact lenses for a variety of reasons, with aesthetic and cosmetic considerations often being major factors. Many people wish to avoid wearing glasses or to change the appearance of their eye color. Additionally, compared to glasses, contact lenses offer better peripheral vision in certain situations and don’t fog up (such as in the rain or from sweat during exercise), making them a popular choice for sports and outdoor activities. Contact lens wearers can also wear sunglasses or goggles without worrying about the prescription.
The history of contact lenses can be traced back to the Renaissance, and many famous scientists have made indelible contributions to its evolution.
History
Origins and first working prototype
The history of contact lens innovation can be traced back to the Renaissance, when Leonardo da Vinci first proposed the concept of contact lenses in his Manual in 1508. He described a way of changing the refractive power of the eye by filling a glass hemisphere with water. However, the technology at the time did not allow this to be achieved. French philosopher Descartes proposed a device, a glass tube filled with liquid, but this could not be realized because it required direct contact with the cornea.
By 1801, British physicist Thomas Young had built on Descartes' work to create a rudimentary contact lens. He used wax to hold a water-filled lens over his eye and another set of lenses for correction. Subsequently, Johann Heschel proposed several concepts for vision correction in 1845, including a glass spherical capsule filled with animal jelly and a model of the cornea.
"The great chapter of contact lens history today began with those early scientists' constant exploration and failure."
Functionality and design evolution
As technology advanced, the first successful contact lens was made in 1888 by German ophthalmologist Adolf Fick, who created a large, distortion-free contact lens. This contact lens occupies the less sensitive tissue surrounding the cornea and floats on the surface of the cornea using a glucose solution. Additionally, the emergence of polymethacrylate (PMMA) in the 1930s paved the way for the production of plastic contact lenses.
In 1949, the first "mini" corneal contact lenses were developed. These smaller lenses sat just on the cornea and could be worn continuously for up to 16 hours. The designs of these contact lenses continued to evolve, becoming widely popular in the 1960s. In 1964, US President Lyndon Johnson became the first president to publicly wear contact lenses, which also opened the era of contact lenses entering people's lives.
Material Innovation
In the following decades, innovations in contact lens materials continued to emerge, and rigid gas-permeable materials broke the limitations of PMMA, making contact lenses no longer a barrier to oxygen entering the eyes. In the late 1960s, Czech chemists Otto Wiechtler and Drakoslav Lim pioneered hydrogel contact lenses, which revolutionized the comfort and oxygen permeability of contact lenses.
"From heavy glass to today's elegant hydrogel and silicone hydrogel contact lenses, the development of contact lenses is undoubtedly a microcosm of technological progress."
Types of contact lenses
Contact lenses can be classified according to their main functions, materials, wearing plans and replacement plans. Corrective contact lenses, as the name suggests, are used to improve vision, the most common use being to correct refractive errors, whether it be myopia, hyperopia or astigmatism.
ConclusionWith the advancement of science, the design and materials of contact lenses are constantly innovating, and contact lenses in the future may have more diverse functions. Perhaps we should think about how the development of contact lenses will affect future vision correction technology?
