-
Mar 16, 1508
Leonardo da Vinci illustrates the concept of contact lenses
Leonard da Vinci has the idea of placing a corrective lens directly onto the surface of the eye and draws sketches of his idea. -
Rene Descartes writes Dioptric,
in which he explains his theories on light and vision and proposes the idea of a corneal contact lens. -
Philippe de la Hire
He creates drawings that illustrate how a concave lens placed on an eye could send light into the retina. -
Working from Descartes' idea
Thomas Young creates a corneal contact lens to correct his own vision. -
Thomas Young
publishes his description of neutralising the cornea with fluid in A Course of Lectures on Natural Philosophy and the Mechanical Arts. -
British astronomer Sir John Herschel conceptualizes practical lens design
-
John Herschel
suggests neutralising the cornea with a mould made from gelatine -
Adolf Eugen Fick
A German physiologist, creates the first successful contact lens -
F.E. Muller, a German glassblower, creates the first glass contact lens.
-
Plastic contact lenses designed to cover only the eye's cornea
-
Corneal contact lenses are sold commercially for the first time.
-
Czech chemist Otto Wichterle invents soft contact lenses.
-
Introduction of soft contact lenses
-
Introduction of GP contact lenses
-
FDA
approval of new soft contact lenses for extended (overnight) wear -
Overnight wear of GP contact lenses becomes available
-
GP contacts available in next-generation fluorosilicone acrylate materials
-
Introduction of disposable soft contact lenses
-
Introduction of one-day disposable soft lenses
-
Silicone-hydrogel contact lenses first marketed
-
Overnight orthokeratology approved by FDA
-
Custom-manufactured silicone-hydrogel lenses become available
-
2017
