Advertisement

PentaVision

Contact Lens Spectrum

Article

HISTORY OF CONTACT LENSES

HOW IT ALL BEGAN...THE BIRTH OF SOFT CONTACT LENSES

By: PATRICK J. CAROLINE, FAAO, CRAIG W. NORMAN, FCLSA
Contact Lens Spectrum April 1, 2021 Vol 36, Issue April 2021 Page(s): 52

As with many historical developments, the evolution of soft contact lenses did not escape the political, social, and economic impact of its time. The birth of soft contact lenses is primarily focused on one individual—Czechoslovakian chemist Otto Wichterle, who was born in Prostějov, Moravia on Oct. 27, 1913. At a young age, it was clear that he preferred a life in science rather than a career in his family’s farm machinery factory. Following his high school graduation, he studied chemistry (Figure 1) at the Czech Technical University in Prague and then completed his doctoral thesis in chemistry in 1939. However, he was not allowed to continue there; at the dawn of World War II, Germany had seized Czechoslovakia, and the universities were closed.

Figure 1. A young Otto Wichterle (circa 1938). Images provided with permission from the Wichterle Family and The Contact Lens Museum
Figure 1. A young Otto Wichterle (circa 1938). Images provided with permission from the Wichterle Family and The Contact Lens Museum

In 1940, Otto found a job as a chemist at the Bat’a Shoe Company in Zlin, inventing (along with others) a new synthetic nylon called Silon. The liberal-minded and often outspoken Wichterle was imprisoned by the Gestapo in 1942 for five months. Czechoslovakia was liberated by the Soviet Union and the United States in 1945. He then resumed work on his second doctorate in organic chemistry, becoming a professor in the Department of Plastics at Prague University in 1949.

A Turning Point

On a train ride in 1952, Wichterle was seated next to an official from the Ministry of Health who happened to be reading a journal related to metal prosthetics used in medicine. A conversation ensued that began Wichterle’s life-long journey into biological plastics. Also in 1952, along with colleague Dr. Drahoslav Lim, he began research on a biocompatible plastic; just six months later, they had successfully synthesized a hydrophilic gel known as poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) or pHEMA. The material was flexible, oxygen permeable, and optically clear (Figure 2).

Figure 2. Dr. Otto Wichterle and Dr. Drahoslav Lim with their new hydrophilic gel poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) (circa 1952). Images provided with permission from the Wichterle Family and The Contact Lens Museum
Figure 2. Dr. Otto Wichterle and Dr. Drahoslav Lim with their new hydrophilic gel poly(2-hydroxyethyl methacrylate) (pHEMA) (circa 1952). Images provided with permission from the Wichterle Family and The Contact Lens Museum

Wichterle thought that pHEMA might be a suitable material for contact lenses and, in 1955, presented his idea to the Ministry of Health in Czechoslovakia, which rejected the idea. So, he was forced to work on his own with willing colleagues and little financial backing. In 1957, Wichterle produced around 100 soft lenses from closed polystyrene molds; however, due to contraction of the material during polymerization, the edges split and tore as they were removed from the molds (Figure 3). Each lens had to be hand finished with a fingernail file.

Figure 3. In 1957, Wichterle produced around 100 soft contact lenses; however, during polymerization, the edges split and tore when removed from the molds. Images provided with permission from the Wichterle Family and The Contact Lens Museum
Figure 3. In 1957, Wichterle produced around 100 soft contact lenses; however, during polymerization, the edges split and tore when removed from the molds. Images provided with permission from the Wichterle Family and The Contact Lens Museum

In 1961, with further budget cuts, the Institute of Macro-Molecular Chemistry’s hydrogel investigation was ceased. Wichterle was forced to resolve lens production issues at his home. And, what happened next is worthy of a Hollywood movie. CLS

Patrick Caroline is an associate professor of optometry at Pacific University. He is co-curator of the Contact Lens Museum. He is a consultant or advisor to Katt, Inc.

Craig Norman is an adjunct faculty member at the Michigan College of Optometry’s Vision Research Institute. He is co-curator of the Contact Lens Museum. He has received speaking honoraria or consulting fees from ABB Optical Group, Bausch Medical, Contamac, Euclid Systems, GPLI, Lentechs, Oculus USA, and Valley Contax.

What to Read Next