AS CONTACT LENS SPECTRUM CELEBRATES its 40th anniversary in 2026, the industry is reflecting on 4 decades of transformation that shifted contact lenses from a niche medical device to a primary mode of vision correction. The journal’s inaugural issue in 1986 arrived at a pivotal moment. At that time, practitioners were debating whether soft lenses would truly dominate the market, while the first GP extended-wear lenses were just being introduced. In the late 1980s, we saw disposability come to the market. In the late 1990s, we saw silicone hydrogel materials revolutionize the industry. In the 2010s, we saw a few factors continue to transform the market, including the ability to control myopia with specialty contact lenses.

In The Contact Lens Centennial, a special commemorative issue that was published in 1987, one of the first articles was “The Transition From Scleral to Corneal Lenses.” If rewritten today, it might be interesting to refocus the article such that it was titled, “The Transition From Scleral to Corneal to Scleral Lenses.” While corneal lenses make up the majority of the rigid lens market today, there is no doubt that there has been a resurgence of scleral lenses over the last 15 years.

After 40 years of evolution in navigating the ocular surface, it’s clear that contact lens materials and designs have become incredibly sophisticated. Here’s to 40 more years of helping the world see clearly!