| 1508: |
Leonardo
da Vinci sketches and describes several forms of
contact lenses. |
| 1632: |
Rene
Descartes of France suggests the corneal contact
lens. |
| 1801: |
Thomas
Young develops Descartes' idea -- a
quarter-inch-long, water-filled glass tube, the
outer end containing a microscopic lens -- and
uses it to correct his own vision. |
| 1827: |
English
astronomer Sir John Herschel suggests grinding a
contact lens to conform exactly to the eye's
surface. |
| 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, perfects methods
of taking molds from living eyes so that lenses
can be made to conform more closely to individual
sclera. |
| 1936: |
William
Feinbloom, a New York optometrist, fabricates the
first American- made contact lenses and
introduces the use of plastic. |
| 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: |
Dr.
George Butterfield, an Oregon optometrist,
designs a corneal lens, the inner surface of
which follows the eye's shape instead of sitting
flat. |
| 1960: |
Otto
Wichterle and Drahoslav Lim experiment with
contact lenses made of a soft, water-absorbing
plastic they developed. |
| 1971: |
The
soft lens became available for commercial
distribution in the United States. |
