History of Contact Lenses:

In 1508 - Contact lenses were first conceived by the Italian inventor Leonardo DaVinci. They were one of many invention ideas he developed sketches and descriptions of.

1632 - Rene Descartes of France suggests the corneal contact lens within the eye.

1827 - English astronomer Sir John Herschel (Side note: This is the same man who discovered the planet Uranus, which was originally named after him) suggested grinding a glass contact lens to conform exactly to the eye's surface.

1877 - Glassblower F.E. Muller of Wiesbaden, Germany, developed this idea into reality and produced the first glass eye covering designed to be seen through and tolerated. This would be the first hard contact lens in history. Let it also be noted that this type of lens was somewhat uncomfortable and could cause eye redness and excessive tear production.

The twentieth century saw the full refinement of the contact lenses that we enjoy today. Many modern day manufacturing techniques and man-made products (such as plastics and silicone) go towards making contacts that the body can easily tolerate and which are much more comfortable to wear for extended periods.

1887: Glassblower F.E. Muller of Wiesbaden, Germany, produces the first eye covering designed to be seen through and tolerated.

1888: Two independent researchers, A. Eugen Fick, a Swiss physician, and Paris optician Edouard Kalt, almost simultaneously report using contact lenses to correct optical defects.

1929 - Joseph Dallos, a Hungarian physician, developed methods of taking molds from living human eyes so that glass lenses could be made to conform more closely to individual sclera. Seven years later, William Feinbloom, a New York optometrist, introduced the use of plastic for contacts.

1945: The American Optometric Association (AOA) formally recognizes the growing contact lens field by specifying contact lens fitting as an integral part of the practice of optometry.

1950 - an Oregon optometrist, Dr. George Butterfield, designed a corneal lens. The inner surface of this lens followed the eye's shape instead of sitting flat, increasing comfort and eye tolerability. This also reduced problems with image and peripheral vision distortion in certain prescription types

1960 - Otto Wichterle and Drahoslav Lim experimented with contact lenses made of a soft, water-absorbing plastic they had developed. This was the major step leading to the soft and disposable lenses that we have today. The water absorption helped with eye dryness problems that could lead to irritations, eye tiredness and focusing problems.

1971: The soft lens became available for commercial distribution in the United States.

1978: The first toric contact lens was approved for distribution in the United States.

1979 - Rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses made of co-polymers PMMA and silicone became available for commercial distribution in. Many silicone-acrylate lenses become available at this time as well. Gas permeability allows the eye to maintain it's natural moisture and to refresh it's surface tear layer without hindrance.

1980 - A tinted daily wear soft lens becomes available for commercial distribution. This is one of the first soft colored contact lenses on the market.

1981: Extended wear soft lenses became available for commercial distribution.

1982 - Bifocal daily wear soft contact lenses becomes available for commercial distribution.

1983: The first tinted RGP lens became available for commercial distribution.

1986: An extended wear RGP lens became available for commercial distribution.

1987: Disposable soft contact lenses became available for commercial distribution; a soft contact lens to change eye color became available for commercial distribution; first multipurpose lens care product made available for commercial distribution. A new formulation of fluorosilicone acrylate material for RGP lenses became available for commercial distribution.

1988 - True disposable lenses become commercially available to the public.

1991: Planned replacement contact lenses now available on the market.

Daily-wear two-week replacement lenses now available on the market.

1992 - Disposable tinted contact lenses available on the market.

1995: Daily disposable lenses available on the market; RGP lenses with low silicone content / high Dk fluorosilicone acrylates became available.

1996 - First disposable lenses using ultra-violet absorber are available in the U.S.

1998: First multifocal disposable soft lenses available.

1999 New generation extended wear soft lenses introduced and it was mainly used by the youth persons those who were studing in colleges nowadays.

2001 The Contact lenses is much more thiner than what they have introduced before.

2003 The Contact lenses are more in colors nowadays and it easily attractive to the persons.