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Contact Lens Spectrum

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HISTORY OF CONTACT LENSES

CHRISTMAS DAY 1961

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

As we’ve shared previously in this column, in 1952, Czechoslovakian chemists Otto Wichterle and Dr. Drahoslav Lim successfully synthesized the world’s first hydrophilic plastic known as polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate (pHEMA). Five years later, Wichterle, along with a few willing colleagues, molded the first soft contact lenses. However, due to reduced government funding and the poor quality of the early molded lenses, Wichterle was forced to pursue his dream of a soft contact lens outside of the walls of the university.

Overcoming the Challenges

The first challenge that Wichterle’s team needed to overcome was adhesion of the pHEMA to the mold, which was causing irregular lens edges. In early 1961, Wichterle conceived the idea of spin-casting as a method of manufacturing. Like many great inventions, his inspiration was drawn from the simplicity of everyday life—in this case, while stirring cream into a cup of coffee! He observed how the edges of the cup formed a capillary interaction with the coffee inside (Figure 1) and imagined that this possibly could be applied to his invention.

Figure 1. Otto’s wife Linda Wichterle demonstrates how he conceived the idea of spin-casting soft contact lenses. Images courtesy of the Wichterle family
Figure 1. Otto’s wife Linda Wichterle demonstrates how he conceived the idea of spin-casting soft contact lenses. Images courtesy of the Wichterle family

With a lack of resources, Wichterle had to be innovative in building a machine capable of working the soft gel material into a finished contact lens. In a now famous story, on Christmas Eve 1961, Wichterle built a machine from the Merkur (Erector) set of one of his sons, along with the generator from his bicycle light.

Part of this legendary story is that the toys used for the construction of the original device were gifts for Christmas that year; however, his two sons would have been in their early 20s at that time. It is more likely that these were simply repurposed childhood toys.

From this machine, on Christmas day, Wichterle and his family produced the first four finished, spun-cast soft contact lenses at the family’s kitchen table (Figure 2). The next day, the soft lenses were clinically evaluated by Dr. Maximillian Dreifus of the Second Ophthalmological Clinic in Prague (Figure 3), who found them to be both comfortable and optically successful for his patients.

Figure 2. On Christmas Eve 1961, Wichterle built the first spin-cast machine using his son’s Merkur (Erector) set and the generator from his bicycle light transformer. On Christmas Day 1961, Wichterle produced the first four usable spin-cast soft lenses at the family’s kitchen table. Images courtesy of the Wichterle family
Figure 2. On Christmas Eve 1961, Wichterle built the first spin-cast machine using his son’s Merkur (Erector) set and the generator from his bicycle light transformer. On Christmas Day 1961, Wichterle produced the first four usable spin-cast soft lenses at the family’s kitchen table. Images courtesy of the Wichterle family

Figure 3. Dr. Maximillian Dreifus of the Second Ophthalmological Clinic in Prague fit some of the first soft lenses in practice. Images courtesy of the Wichterle family
Figure 3. Dr. Maximillian Dreifus of the Second Ophthalmological Clinic in Prague fit some of the first soft lenses in practice. Images courtesy of the Wichterle family

Christmas 1961 will forever be a landmark moment in the history of contact lenses as the time that a single spark ignited a chain reaction that would forever change the eye-care industry. 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.

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