Case Study: Contact Lenses - History, Technology, and Innovations

This case study provides a comprehensive overview of the historical development and technological advancements in contact lenses. It begins by tracing early attempts to correct vision, such as Leonardo Da Vinci's experiments, and progresses through the contributions of scientists like René Descartes, Thomas Young, and Sir John Herschel. The study details the evolution of lens designs, from early glass-made scleral lenses to the invention of corneal lenses by Kevin Touhy, and the introduction of plastic materials. It highlights key innovations, including the development of hydrogel and silicone hydrogel lenses, which improved comfort and oxygen permeability. The case study emphasizes the continuous improvements in lens technology, from the early attempts to the modern flexible silicone discs that perfectly enhance vision. The evolution of contact lenses is explored, highlighting the challenges and breakthroughs that have shaped the industry, providing a valuable resource for students studying healthcare and technology.

Running Head: CASE STUDY: CONTACT LENSES
Case Study: Contact Lenses
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CASE STUDY: CONTACT LENSES
Earliest History of Contact Lens Technologies & Their Efficacy in Correcting
Vision
Contact lenses are among the technologies which have transformed the modern global
healthcare system. Since the 14th century, there have been efforts to create solutions to
refraction errors on eyes which lead to short-sightedness, long-sightedness, and astigmatism.
The development of contact lenses began way back in 1508 when Leonardo Da Vinci tried to
wear a bowl of water on his head to aid in correcting vision (Fadel, 2017). This was his
unsuccessful attempt to develop contact lenses as his device was impractical in altering
vision. Later in 1636, René Descartes, a French scientist relied on Leonardo’s experiments to
propose further ideas. He placed a liquid filled glass-tube directly in contact with the cornea
(Vincent et al, 2016). His invention to some extent helped enhance vision except that blinking
was impossible. For about two centuries later, there were no improvements on contact lenses
designs. In the year 1801, Thomas Young who was an English Scientist used the ideas of
René’ Descartes to come up with a pair of contact lenses. Young changed the design by
Descartes’ where he reduced the glass tube size to exactly ¼ inch then stuck the lenses filled
with water to his own eyeballs(Fadel, 2017). The device compromised the safety of the eye
and seen as a ridiculous option. The device was out-rightly impractical and could not correct
eye problems. The idea on the use of contact lenses to help in the correction refraction errors
was never suggested until later in the year 1845(Toshida, 2008). In this period, Sir John
Herschel, a physicist from England first hypothesized that if he took a mould of the eye
cornea it would produce contact lenses to enable the correction of vision. Even so, the
physicist did not have the right technology to enable him test this particular hypothesis. His
theory however was only a speculation till around 100 years later.

CASE STUDY: CONTACT LENSES
Improved Technologies on the Contact Lenses
In the 1880s when novel glass production, shaping and cutting technologies emerged
it was possible to develop thin lenses. Glass-made contact lens designs which fitted in the
eye and allowed blinking for the wearer invented was independently by three different
individuals. These included Dr Adolf Fick, Louis Girard and Eugene Cult(Vincent et al,
2016). Even so, the credit for this discovery has since gone to Dr Fick who was Swiss
physician. Fick wrote “A Contact Spectacle” treatise describing the first ever contact lens
that had refractive power that could improve vision. The first ever physical lens sample was
created by F. A. Mueller, an artificial eye-maker in the year 1887(Toshida, 2008). These
particular lenses were referred to scleral lenses since they covered the whole eye including
the cornea. The lenses were slightly convex and allowed room for tears and dextrose solution.
This solution was meant to create the refractive power which could correct vision. In the
year 1888, Dr Fick was able to construct and fit the first ever successful contact lens. Even
so, Fick’s contact lenses created using heavy blown glass with an 18–21mm diameter, were
uncomfortable due to their weight(Guillon 2013). Even worse, the glass-made lenses covered
an individual’s whole exposed eye. The eyes unlike other organs in the body that get
oxygenated by blood supplies, get oxygen from the air directly. Therefore covering the
eyeballs with shields of glass as lenses essentially suffocates them. Use of scleral lenses
developed by DR Fick according to Masoudi et al (2017) led to excruciating eye pain after
several hours of using them. In spite of this problem, the glass-made scleral lenses remained
the main contact lens forms for another 60 years later.
In the late 1920s, there were advances in technology in the fields of anaesthesiology
among other materials. These advances in technology enabled Sir John Herschel’s idea on
developing corneal moulds to be tested. This was done in the year 1929, when the
Hungarians Dr Dallos and Istvan Komàromy developed a perfect technique of making

CASE STUDY: CONTACT LENSES
moulds particularly from living eyes(Vincent et al, 2016). This development improved and
proved Herschel’s postulations. This was the first time that creation of contact lenses which
conformed to actual eye-shape was made possible. By 1930s there were plastics being
produced and scientists in eye-care field opted to create contact lenses that were lightweight
and transparent contact lenses(Guillon 2013). The emergence of unbreakable, malleable,
easy to manufacture and scratch-resistant plastics led to yet another revolution in the industry
driving glass contact lenses obsolete. Despite the advantages of the then new plastic contact
lenses, they were scleral and therefore covered the whole eye and were wearable only for a
few hours.
In the year 1948, Kevin Touhy an optical technician from England was sanding down
one plastic lens whose part fell off. This part was the section that was usually intended to
cover the white of the eye ball. Instead of starting all over again, Kevin decided to try out the
remaining smaller lens section (Masoudi et al, 2017). After smoothing its edges and popping
it in his own eye, Kevin delightedly discovered that this particular lens could still work and
also stayed in its place even during when blinking. Kevin Touhy’s happy accident brought
forth the corneal contact lenses which are commonly used even today(Guillon 2013). The
corneal lenses discovered then allowed the wearers to let the lenses stay longer in their eyes
as the eye cells could somehow breathe. The corneal lenses were found to be more
comfortable as compared to the earlier scleral lenses. The publicity of Touhy’s invention
brought about rapid changes to corneal lenses. George Butterfield in the year 1950
postulated the need for curved corneal lenses contrary to the flat corneal lenses in the market
then. In the late 1950s three other technicians including Frank Dickenson, John Neil and
Wilhelm Sohnjes developed thinner lenses corneal lenses measuring about 0.20 mm. Thinner
lenses measuring 0.10 m were later developed in 1960s(Toshida, 2008). Despite the

CASE STUDY: CONTACT LENSES
numerous improvements done on corneal lenses they still hindered the flow of oxygen into
the eyes. As a result, they could not be worn for a long time and/or overnight.
The Modern Contact Lenses
The efficacy of plastic corneal contact lenses and scleral lenses was still low in
correcting vision problems. In the year 1958 when Otto Wichterle who was Czechoslovakian
chemist discovered hydrogel, a soft and yet pliable plastic when it is wet that could be shaped
appropriately and moulded to form contact lenses. Dr Robert Morrison from Pennsylvania
USA being aware of Wichterle’s work recognized that hydrogel had the potential to make
contact lenses(Diec et al, 2017). When Wichterle released his own patents for global use Dr
Morrison being an optometrist set up a hydrogel manufacturing facility in his own lab to
create soft contact lenses. In the early 1960s Bausch and Lomb after being granted access to
this plastic they created a refined lens casting technique which could produce consistent
surfaces of lenses. They also developed the mass production process of hydrogel contact
lenses. In 1988, Ciba Vision introduced silicone hydrogels which offered extreme and high
oxygen permeability unlike the earlier versions of lenses (Diec et al, 2017). Over the later 25
years, soft and/or hard contact lenses perpetually improved particularly in regard to oxygen
permeability, in order to enable eyes breathe. The best contact lenses today thus are
breathable, comfortable and durable (Guillon 2013). It is thus important to appreciate the
journey through which eye technology has taken since Da Vinci’s use of bowl of water to
correct vision, to the modern flexible silicone discs which enhance vision more perfectly.

CASE STUDY: CONTACT LENSES
References
Diec, J., Tilia, D., & Thomas, V. (2017). Comparison of Silicone Hydrogel and Hydrogel
Daily Disposable Contact Lenses. Eye & Contact Lens: Science & Clinical Practice,
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Ehrich, W. (1993). History of Contact Lenses. Eye & Contact Lens: Science & Clinical
Practice, 19(1), 80.
Fadel, D. (2017). Modern scleral lenses: Mini versus large. Contact Lens And Anterior
Eye, 40(4), 200-207.
Guillon, M. (2013). Are Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lenses More Comfortable Than Hydrogel
Contact Lenses?. Eye & Contact Lens: Science & Clinical Practice, 39(1), 85-91.
Key, J. (2007). Development of Contact Lenses and Their Worldwide Use. Eye & Contact
Lens: Science & Clinical Practice, 33(Supplement), 343-345.
Lira, M., & Silva, R. (2017). Effect of Lens Care Systems on Silicone Hydrogel Contact Lens
Hydrophobicity. Eye & Contact Lens: Science & Clinical Practice, 43(2), 89-94.
Masoudi, S., Zhao, Z., Stapleton, F., & Willcox, M. (2017). Contact Lens–Induced
Discomfort and Inflammatory Mediator Changes in Tears. Eye & Contact Lens:
Science & Clinical Practice, 43(1), 40-45.
Toshida, H. (2008). Bifocal contact lenses: History, types, characteristics, and actual state and
problems. Clinical Ophthalmology, 869.
Vincent, S., Alonso-Caneiro, D., & Collins, M. (2016). Evidence on scleral contact lenses
and intraocular pressure. Clinical And Experimental Optometry, 100(1), 87-88.