Throughout history, there have been many notable individuals whose contributions have had a significant impact on the field of contact lenses. However, few have had a greater global impact on our industry than Newton K. Wesley, OD, MD, ScD, PhD.

Dr. Wesley was born in 1917 in the small town of Westport, OR, on the banks of the Columbia River. In 1939, he graduated from the North Pacific College of Optometry in Portland, OR. Unbelievably, shortly after his graduation, Dr. Wesley and colleague Roy B. Clunes, OD, purchased this private college of optometry, which later became the Pacific University College of Optometry.

In 1942, Dr. Wesley, his wife, and two children lost everything when they were forced to take residence in an Idaho detention camp because of World War II anti-Japanese hysteria. While his family was required to stay in Idaho, Dr. Wesley was allowed to temporarily relocate to Richmond, IN, where he attended Earlham College, receiving a degree in chemistry.

At the age of 26, Dr. Wesley moved to Chicago to join the faculty of Monroe College, which later became the Illinois College of Optometry. It was there that he met a bright optometry student by the name of George Jessen. In 1946, the two created the Plastic Contact Lens Company that would later morph into Wesley-Jessen, one of the largest contact lens companies in the world. Later, in 1980, Wesley-Jessen was acquired by pharmaceutical company Schering-Plough and then by global giant Ciba Vision in 2001.

Promoting Contact Lenses

The post-war years of 1946 to 1976 are sometimes referred to as ”the modern age of contact lenses.” During this time, Dr. Wesley was virtually synonymous with the term contact lenses around the world; he is credited for almost single handedly creating a consumer contact lens market by using the professional media to promote contact lenses to the public (Figure 1). Throughout the years, he participated in numerous radio programs, newspaper and magazine articles, even appearing as a guest on the popular late-night TV program, The Steve Allen Show (Figure 1). During these appearances, Dr. Wesley was often accompanied by lens-wearing rabbit, Leo (named after inventor Leonardo Da Vinci).

Lasting Influence

For 65 years, the field of contact lenses was dramatically influenced by Dr. Newton Wesley. Today, his impact continues to be present in almost every discipline within our industry including lens design, materials, manufacturing, and, of course, marketing. His story and larger-than-life achievements illustrate how a single-minded individual can change the entire trajectory of a global industry by creating a market where essentially none previously existed. He made “contact lenses” household words, exemplified by the instrumental role he played in getting the words “contact lenses” into dictionaries around the world. CLS