What year were contact lenses introduced? A variety of types of contact lenses for any parameters. Putting on the lens with both hands

Today, contact lenses are very popular. They successfully replaced glasses and qualitatively correct myopia and hyperopia, astigmatism and presbyopia. They are also used for decorative purposes - to change or emphasize eye color. When and by whom were lenses invented?

At all times there have been people poor eyesight. Of course, in last years this problem is becoming global in connection with the development of information technology. Today it is difficult to surprise anyone with a computer, tablet or e-book. Not surprisingly, from prolonged exposure to the eyes visual functions modern people begin to deteriorate, which requires the constant use of glasses or. However, people faced similar problems in ancient times, but the reason for the drop in visual acuity was not in computers and televisions. When did the first lenses appear?

Prerequisites for creating lenses

It's hard to believe that the very first mention of contact lenses ah belongs famous artist Leonardo da Vinci. It dates back to 1508 and is found in the book "The Code of the Eye". It was da Vinci who created the blueprint for future lenses. The image was a glass sphere filled with water, thanks to which a person with poor eyesight could better see the surrounding objects. However, it is impossible to say that Leonardo da Vinci was the creator of the very first model of contact lenses. Rather, he drew attention to the existing refraction of light that enters the eye. It was the mention of the artist that served as an incentive for his followers who wanted to invent lenses. One of them was the French philosopher, mathematician and physicist Rene Descartes. In 1632, for the first time, he put a glass container filled with water on his eyes, because this is how he described da Vinci's future contact lenses. However, it was impossible to wear such an invention. Firstly, it was completely inconvenient to use and significantly hampered the movements of its owner. Secondly, vision correction with their help was rather difficult, since the container filled with water quickly fogged up, thereby further worsening visual functions. Thirdly, the use of such lenses prevented a person from blinking, thus violating the natural physiological processes and contributing to the drying of the cornea of \u200b\u200bthe eye.

Correct contact lenses

After another two hundred years, the British physicist and astronomer John Herschel returned to the topic of creating contact lenses. It was he who described in detail in his writings how a real and, most importantly, correct contact lens should look like. Herschel called its most important characteristic the ability to repeat the shape of the eye. Today, each of us understands that this particular feature is the main one for lenses, but at that time, it was quite difficult for scientists to understand exactly how contact lens models should actually look like, which can not only correct visual impairment, but also remain comfortable to wear. for any user.

First glass lenses

Who developed the very first glass lens? This man was the German glass blower Friedrich Müller, and this memorable event in the field of ophthalmology took place in 1888. Müller did not set out to create a contact lens. He just wanted to help his close friend see the world in bright colors. It so happened that a friend lost an eyelid. Why this happened is unknown, but the fact remains. Moreover, Muller did not seek to develop optical products that could correct vision. A friend who was left without a century repeatedly complained to Friedrich that the mucous membrane of the eye dries out quickly, and therefore vision is clouded. Nobody used contact lenses in those days, and therefore this method of correction remained unexplored to the end. Muller positioned his invention as protecting the eye from negative impacts. environment. Having developed the first lenses in this way, the glassblower devoted himself to the further creation of similar models, but already intended for a wide range of customers. The lenses he created completely repeated the shape of the eye and were two-tone. The white part adjoined directly to the eye sclera, and the transparent part to the iris and pupil.

When did lenses appear on the optics market?

The very first lenses that went into mass production were created by the famous German brand Carl Zeiss. Although to call him famous would not be entirely correct. At that time, the company had just appeared on the market and was actively engaged in the production of microscopes. The founder of the company, Carl Zeiss, considered it his duty to continue the work begun by his countryman, the German glassblower Friedrich Muller. Zeiss managed to give a contact lens desired shape so that she can repeat the shape human eye. The difficulty was that the lenses he produced were characterized by same size, because they were all made by specialists belonging to his company, on the same equipment. However, the problem with identically manufactured lenses was soon solved. This was facilitated by the acquaintance of Carl Zeiss with Otto Schott, a German chemist specializing in the production of glass products. Together they managed to create lenses that, although slightly, differed from each other in their sizes, which allowed many people to correct their vision thanks to contact lenses.

Carl Zeiss and Otto Schott

plastic lenses

The next step in the history of optical products was the unique discovery of the Hungarian physician Istvan Gyorfi. He managed to develop a lens made of plastic. It is not surprising that most people were quite uncomfortable in glass lenses. Many of them complained of discomfort, pain in the eyes when using them, and their wearing was completely forbidden to children. However, a lens made of plastic was also not ideal. The material used in its creation was called Plexiglas and was characterized by increased rigidity, which also caused inconvenience during operation, albeit not to such a large number of people. Despite this, Györfi received a patent for the production of contact lenses based on Plexiglas.

Who Invented Soft Lenses?

When did soft lenses appear and who is their creator? The first soft material was used by the Czech scientist Otto Wichterle. For several years he worked in research institute one of the shoe companies in the country, being the head of the department for the processing of polyamide and plastics. Few people know that lenses were preceded by the creation of silicone - the material from which they began to create soft models. Wichterle managed to develop this polymer in the following way. Interested in organic chemistry, Otto developed a method for winding a polyamide thread onto a spool. It is called silicone. Then he became interested in the synthesis of polymeric materials. He tried to understand which of the materials is better than others for the production of contact lenses. So he managed to develop a hydrogel that could absorb about 40% of water. It was completely transparent and had all the necessary properties. In the mid-50s of the last century, the material was patented, after which Otto Wichterle received a patent for the further production of lenses.

Today, many people increasingly prefer contact correction of vision. Many are faced with the problem, which contact lenses are best? Today we will try to determine how to choose the best quality lenses for the eyes.

Who needs contact lenses and why?

Modern breathable materials, wide optical range and the latest technology allow you to restore your vision. It is necessary to choose contact lenses for such eye diseases as:

Age-related changes (presbyopia);
Violation of the shape of the cornea and lens (astigmatism);
Farsightedness (hypermetropia);
Myopia (myopia of varying degrees).

When deciding to choose the most suitable lenses for your eyes, you need to consider optical power, radius of curvature and individual features. The best contact lenses are able to form a real system with the eye, providing high vision:

Without limiting the field of view (as is the case with glasses);
Not subject to weather influences (rain, snow);
Suitable for active sports
Ideal for people with a big difference range on the right and left eye.

Choice of lenses

Some believe that you can switch from glasses to lenses of any company on your own, because there is nothing difficult in this - just look at the prescription for glasses and select the required optical power. However, this may lead to strong consequences– from dry eye syndrome to sharp deterioration vision as a result of hypoxic changes in the cornea.

An ophthalmologist should choose the most suitable lenses for you. A regular eye test will not be able to give anything - lenses with the same optical power and radius may differ in other parameters not indicated on the package:

Thickness and shape of the product;
The elasticity of the material;
Edge processing method.

The procedure for choosing lenses for the eyes begins with consideration individual features patient - work schedule, lifestyle, chronic diseases, bad habits, possible contraindications and motivation to wear them. Before choosing which company is better to choose lenses, the doctor will prescribe the following examinations:

Assessment of the state of the ocular anterior segment;
Determination of the degree of visual acuity;
Examination of the eye day for possible pathologies;
Carrying out computer diagnostics.

Thinking about which lenses are better, you need to take into account the tripling of the eyes - the density of the eyelids and the incision, the characteristics of the vessels, the qualitative and quantitative composition of the mucous fluid. Using special tests, the ophthalmologist will evaluate the fit of the lens to the cornea, the local reaction of the eye surface and the level of vision correction.

If eye lenses are prescribed for the first time, the doctor must show the patient how to put them on and take them off. Provide information on wearing and caring for them.

Types of contact lenses

Rigid lenses

Until the end of the 60s of the last century, lenses were created from organic glass - this material could not pass oxygen and delivered a lot of discomfort. Created after them gas-permeable hard lenses allowed to "breathe" the eyes, but caused swelling of the cornea and mechanical irritation of the eyes.

Modern varieties of rigid eye lenses are made of silicone: they do not fall out when you blink, do not dry out and have a long service life, not like one-day types. They are very inferior in terms of wearing comfort compared to the soft types in some cases, they lead to blurry vision. Modern doctors do not recommend choosing this type of lens for wearing, recommending choosing a more suitable option.

Rigid type silicone lenses are most preferred for the following types of eye conditions:

Refractive anomalies (orthokeratological correction);
Senile farsightedness (presbyopia);
Keratoconus (thinning and reshaping of the cornea);
Severe astigmatism that cannot be corrected with toric lenses.

soft lenses

AT soft lenses ah for the eyes contains a large percentage of water, which makes them very comfortable to wear, limits the period of use, some of them can be one-day. Based on the purpose, three types of soft lenses can be distinguished:

Toric - for patients with astigmatism;
Spherical - to correct hypermetropia and myopia;
Multifocal and bifocal - for the correction of presbyopia.

Separately, it is necessary to highlight carnival and colored lenses (they can both correct vision and be simple), orthokeratological (worn at night to improve vision during the day) and therapeutic (used to protect the eyes after surgery).

Mode and timing of wearing MKL

Depending on the duration of wearing, three groups of lenses can be distinguished:

One-day (change every day);
Classic (replacement every 6-12 months);
Planned replacement lenses (from two weeks to three months).

The longer the service life of the product, the more careful care they need. If wearing daily lenses, only drops to moisturize the eyes may be needed, then planned replacement lenses require the use of disinfectant and moisturizing solutions, and the traditional option requires additional cleaning of protein deposits using special tablets.

According to the wearing mode, soft lenses can be:

Daily wear (be sure to remove before going to bed);
Prolonged wear (can be worn without removal from 3 to 30 days without damage to the eyes);
Deep wearing (removed periodically at night).

According to ophthalmologists, it is better not to abuse long-wear lenses, in this case one-day lenses are better. If these are not daily lenses, then daily care should not be neglected - they accumulate microbes and natural deposits on their surface that can cause infectious diseases. Only one-day lenses are an exception, tonies are individually packaged and discarded after each wear.

What are soft lenses made of?

Soft contact lenses contain hydroxyethyl methacrylate and various copolymers of silicone and hydrogels. Polymeric material HEMA has incredible ability moisture absorption. It was first synthesized in 1960 in Czechoslovakia. The first soft lenses were created by Dragoslav Lim and Otto Wichterle. Subsequently, this technology was purchased by Bausch & Lomb. She managed to open a new level in the field of contact vision correction.

Continued development of new lenses continued in the 70s of the last century, and in 1999 the first silicone hydrogel lenses were created with the ability to wear 30 days without interruption. by the most important characteristics that can affect the duration of wearing and the quality of lenses are:

Oxygen transmittance (Dk/t), which takes into account the ability to let oxygen to the corneal vessels and the thickness of the lens. The higher this indicator is, the longer period continuous wear and lower probability of hypoxia;
Fluid content: Low hydrophilic lenses have less than 50% moisture, high hydrophilic lenses have 50 to 80% moisture. The higher this indicator, the higher their strength;
The elasticity model (MPa) affects the wearing comfort and ease of donning the lens.

Manufacturers can use materials under various proprietary names, indicating characteristics on the packaging.

Soft modern lenses

Hydrogel lenses

The first mass-produced contact correction product is still popular today. Hydrogel contact lenses can provide high level wearing due to its softness and thinness.

Low gas permeability levels are leveled high content water that conducts oxygen molecules to the cornea. When choosing such lenses, you need to focus on the level of moisture content in them.

Silicone hydrogel lenses

Adding silicone to the material allows you to create a kind of "lattice" that is transparent to the passage of oxygen. The degree of elasticity is higher compared to hydrogel, so the lenses keep their shape better. This type of lenses is very demanding on the mode of their wearing:

Recommended to be worn in daytime days with their removal at night;
Prolonged mode - no more than two weeks, after which you need to throw out the old lenses and open a new package;
Mandatory consultation on the choice of product;
Use of a peroxide cleaning system.

Biocompatible lenses

Wearing any type of contact lenses can cause defensive reaction- the body perceives it as a foreign body, the active production of proteins begins. Protein deposits allow the lens to be part of the eye, but at the same time degrade its optical properties. New developments have involved biocompatible materials that are as close as possible to natural composition eye tissues. Such components have many advantages:

resistance to dehydration;
Resistance to deposit formation;
Minimizing the possibility of dry eye syndrome and an allergic reaction.

Aspherical lenses

The parameters of each type of lens for the eyes are designed exactly in its center. As it moves towards the eyes, visual acuity will decrease, and eye strain occurs. The surface of this type of lens is created in the form of an ellipse - the radius of curvature gradually changes from the center to the periphery. This form of lenses is able to neutralize the aberrations of the eye as much as possible, providing a high degree of wearing comfort.

This type of lens is especially relevant for people with large diopters (more than 4.5) - they reduce eye strain.

Contact lens care

Lenses chosen incorrectly can cause serious eye diseases, so it is not recommended to make a decision in their purchase on your own. A visit to the ophthalmologist should become a rule - you need to go to the doctor 1-2 times a year (in case of discomfort - immediately).

Observe the exact terms of wearing lenses - mark in advance the day of replacement of lenses. The service life of the product must be counted from the moment the package is opened, it does not matter how many days the lenses were actually worn. It is necessary to observe the rules of personal hygiene - always wash your hands before putting on and removing lenses, do not use drops and solutions with an expired date. If there is no time for daily care, it is better to choose daily eye lenses.

Choose suitable type Only an ophthalmologist can wear lenses. You should not try to do it yourself, because you can only harm your eyesight. And proper care of the lenses will help to avoid inflammation and other complications with the eyes.

No matter how surprising it may sound, but attempts to create contact lenses were made at the end of the 16th century. And the first experience belongs to Leonardo da Vinci himself. The archives left by the great master contain sketches from 1508, which depict a device designed to correct vision. according to the sketches, the optical system should be installed on the eye and correct vision. To date, scientists are confident that it was this invention of Leonardo that became the prototype of modern contact lenses.

However, the invention of the master at that time did not find due recognition and was safely forgotten about for almost 400 years. It wasn't until 1887 that the German glassblower Friedrich Müller took advantage of Leonardo's idea. And it all happened because one of Muller's acquaintances did not have a century, and in order to help the sufferer, the glassblower made a glass spherical lens and placed it on his eye. This lens protected the eye and prevented moisture loss. The patient walked with this lens for 20 years, and with age-related changes in vision, he began to notice that he sees better under the lens. After that, Muller began to manufacture such lenses, helping people with visual impairments. These lenses were prostheses that follow the shape of the eye. The part of the lens adjacent to the sclera was made of white glass, and the one above the pupil was made of transparent glass.

Nearly 30 years have passed and the Carl Zeiss company has launched the production of special sets of contact lenses. Each set contained lenses with different parameters, this greatly facilitated the selection of lenses for the eyes of a particular person.

Until the mid-50s of the 20th century, all lenses were made of glass, and they had similar parameters, the diameter was 20-30 mm, and the thickness was 1-2 mm. These lenses covered almost the entire visible part of the eye, both the sclera and the cornea. Because of this, under them accumulated a large number of fluid, this caused corneal edema, and pain at the patient. After the patients removed their lenses, they had to long time be treated to restore the transparency of the cornea.

A major breakthrough was the fact that in 1947, Kevin Touhy created the first small-diameter contact lens, it covered only the cornea, and was made of plastic, and not like glass before that. It was after this that the contact lens became the form that it has now.

A new word in the production of contact lenses was the invention of the Czech scientist Otto Wichterle, in the late fifties. He invented a transparent, stable polymer, which is excellent for the production of soft contact lenses. This polymer had the ability to retain moisture and allow the eyes to "breathe", and it did not cause corneal edema. And since 1971, Wichterle's invention has formed the basis for the mass production of contact lenses, making them accessible to everyone.

Colored lenses are made from the same materials as traditional corrective lenses. Unlike colorless optics, tint, cosmetic or carnival products are made using a multi-layer technology - at least three layers are used, one of which contains pigments. Otherwise, in terms of production and materials for layers in contact with the eye and eyelid, there are no special differences from corrective optics.

Layers of colored lenses

Color optics consists of the following layers:

External, in contact with the eyelid and subject to external influences- dust, ultraviolet, etc.
Medium, containing special pigments to give the iris a given color.
An inner one that directly adheres to the eyeball and holds the lens on the eye.

The middle layer with coloring materials does not interact directly with the eyelid or eye, and therefore is completely harmless to the mucous membrane, pupil, and iris. At the same time, in the production of tints (they make the natural color of the iris more expressive and are intended only for light shades eye) uniform coloration is used over the entire surface of the lens, including the pupillary area.

In the first hours of wearing such products, “the surrounding world is painted in the color of the lens” and the color picture is distorted, but then the eye adjusts and the image becomes normal, as it was before putting on. In cosmetic ones (dramatically change the color of the iris), the pupil area is not stained. Usually the unpainted part is made slightly larger than the pupil, so that in low light, when the pupil expands, the pigmented part does not interfere with visibility.

As for carnival products with non-standard prints (red, black and other iris color, cat eye etc.), then it is possible to narrow the pupillary zone in them to achieve a special theatrical effect.

Materials used for contact optics

In the production of colored lenses, various technologies are used (mainly casting) and a large number of polymers - polymacon, senofilcon, omafilcon, balafilcon, vilfilcon and others. In total, according to the FDA classification, 4 groups are distinguished depending on the polymers used and moisture content.

Lenses can be:

Hard. Rigid polymer materials can be gas permeable (GPL) and gas tight.
Soft. Products made of soft polymers. There are hydrogel (HG) and silicone hydrogel (Si-Hg).

Rigid polymers are used less and less in the manufacture of contact optics. Such lenses are smaller compared to products made of soft polymers - there is a risk of falling out of the eye during sports activities. The disadvantages of rigid polymer optics include the fact that they take a relatively long time to get used to.

Soft polymers (eg HEMA) are highly hydrophobic. Products absorb moisture, pass oxygen well to the cornea due to the evaporation of liquid.

Since the late 90s and early 2000s, the HEMA polymer (hydroxyethyl methacrylate) has been gradually replaced by silicone hydrogel. This material passes oxygen better, retains its properties throughout the entire period of wearing and does not require much getting used to.

As dyes for the middle layer, safe, chemically inactive pigments are used that do not react with polymers.

Are colored products harmful to the eyes?

Since all contact layers are made from the same eye-safe materials as corrective optics, there are no health risks. The layer with pigments is completely isolated from the mucosa. The pupil area in tint and cosmetic products corresponds to the size of the human pupil, so there is no discomfort, reduced viewing angle, or visibility. The main thing is to follow the manufacturer's instructions and be sure to consult an ophthalmologist before buying. View the range and you can in "Lenses for everyone"

May 25th, 2016. 10:12 am

If someone thinks that the idea of creating contact lenses belongs to an ultra-modern society, then he is deeply mistaken. The first sketches of the prototype of modern CLs were made by Leonardo da Vinci himself back in 1508. The drawings of the genius that have survived to this day depict a device consisting of a ball filled with water and designed to correct vision. And what is most striking - this design, according to the author's idea, was to be installed on the eyes!

Unfortunately, during the lifetime of the great scientist and artist, the idea of creating a device that helps the eye to see better did not find support in society and was forgotten for several long centuries. Only in the eighteenth century, quite by accident, as often happens, trying to help his friend, who was left without a century, the German glass blower Friedrich Müller blew out the first contact lens in history. The great-great-grandmother of the modern soft contact lens was a glass prosthesis that covered the entire eye. The part of the prosthesis adjacent to the sclera was made of white glass, and a small part above the pupil remained transparent.

Muller's invention was met with great enthusiasm in the then medical community, especially since the sufferer's eye, protected from the external environment, began to feel somewhat better. Thus, the glass blower opened a workshop for the production of prosthetic eyes, and the scientific minds took up their improvement. Only three decades later, thanks to the invention of Muller, it became possible to correct vision. In appearance, these were already more elegant glass eye "caps" made of transparent glass, more naturally repeating the shape of the eyeball. They were produced in sets, and differed from each other in various parameters, and everyone could choose the right pair.

glass foreign bodies, even if they are able to improve vision, it was very difficult to wear constantly, because due to the accumulation of fluid, patients often experienced swelling of the organs of the eye.

Later it became clear that the cause of this phenomenon is the gas impermeability of the lens, and too large a contact area with a limited supply of oxygen to the biological tissues of the eye.

But science did not stand still, and in the middle of the last twentieth century, there were several real breakthroughs that brought the emergence of modern MCL closer. First, Kevin Touhy invented a plastic lens that covers only the cornea. However, too hard for sensitive eye the plastic was uncomfortable. A few years later, the Czech scientist Otto Wichterle and the engineer Dragoslav Lim introduced the world to a material that could absorb water and then become elastic. These products are called soft contact lenses, or soft contact lenses for short. Since that moment, SCLs have become what we are used to seeing them today - comfortable, non-irritating, breathable and easy to use. But the most curious thing in this whole story is the fact that to make a miracle material, the inventors used a device made from a bicycle tire and a children's designer. Connoisseurs of modern contact lenses and simply interesting finds can still admire the miracle unit in the Czech National Museum.

Today, there are already rumors that the LCL will soon be able to check blood sugar levels, or even serve as a navigator in unfamiliar terrain. So it looks like it's far from final destination in the evolution of contact lenses.

Who Invented Lens - When Was It Invented?

In school physics lessons, we remember that light rays propagate in a straight line. Any object in their path partially absorbs light, partially reflects at the same angle at which it falls. The only exception is when light passes through a transparent object. At the boundary of two transparent media with different densities (for example, air and water or glass), the rays of light are refracted to a greater or lesser extent, and amazing optical effects arise, depending on physical characteristics object through which light passes.

This property of light allows you to control the course of rays, changing their direction or turning a divergent beam of rays into a convergent one, and vice versa. In practice, this can be achieved using specially processed devices made of optically transparent homogeneous material, which are called lenses (from Latin lens "lentil"). Looking at an object through lenses with different physical and chemical characteristics, we will see it straight or inverted, enlarged or reduced, clear or distorted.

The simplest lens is a carefully ground and polished piece of highly transparent substance (glass, plastic, mineral), bounded by two refractive surfaces, two spherical or flat and spherical (although there are lenses with more complex aspherical surfaces). Lenses in which the middle is thicker than the edges are called converging (positive), scattering (negative) lenses are called lenses in which the edges are thicker than the middle. positive lens has the ability to collect rays falling on it at one point located on the other side of it, in focus. A negative lens, on the contrary, deflects the rays passing through it towards the edges.

The simplest lens made of rock crystal.

Although the scope of the use of lenses in science and technology is very large, their main functions are reduced to a few basic ones. This is the accumulation of thermal energy of light rays, visual approximation and magnification of small or distant objects, as well as vision correction, because the lens of the eye by its nature is a lens with variable surface curvature. People began to use some properties of lenses earlier, others later, however, these optical devices have been known to them since ancient times.

Exist different opinions about when people learned to get fire with the help of sunlight and polished pieces of transparent stone or glass with a convex surface. It can be said for sure that this method was known in Ancient Greece in the middle of the 1st millennium BC. e. because it is described in the play "Clouds" by Aristophanes. However, lenses made of rock crystal, quartz, precious and semi-precious stones much older. One of the most ancient lenses, the so-called god with glasses, was discovered during the excavations of Uruk, an ancient city-state in Mesopotamia. The age of this lens is about 6 thousand years, and the purpose remains a mystery.

In Egypt during the IV-XIII dynasties (III-II millennium BC), crystal lenses were used for. models of the eyes of the statues. Optometric studies have shown that the models are very close to the real shape and optical qualities of the eye, and sometimes even show visual impairments, such as astigmatism.

Alabaster "idols with eyes". Tel Brak site, Syria. IV millennium BC. e.

Unfortunately, over time, the secret of making such lenses was lost; the false eyes of the statues began to be made of stone or faience. Technique " glass eyes”, although with less perfection, the ancient Greeks also owned. For example, bronze statues of the 5th century BC were equipped with lenses. BC e. found in the sea off the coast of Calabria. But before the "official" discovery of the optical properties of the eye, there were still many centuries!

During excavations in the territory of Mesopotamia, Greece and Etruria, a considerable number of crystal lenses were found dating back to about the end of the 1st millennium BC. e. A study of their finish showed that the lenses were used both for visual magnification and as decorations. In fact, these were real magnifiers with a short focal length, increasing the angle of view. In addition, miniature gems were found in Greece, connected by a frame with convex lenses; these gems could not have been made without an optical increase in the working field. All this indicates that loupes were used long before the magnifying effect of lenses was recorded in scientific sources.

When exactly the lenses began to be used for vision correction has not yet been established. There is an opinion, however, not supported by anything, that it was for this purpose that the lenses discovered during the excavations of ancient Troy were used. In the writings of the Roman historian of the 1st century. Pliny the Elder mentions that the emperor Nero, who suffered from myopia, watched gladiator fights through a concave lens carved from emerald, this was a kind of prototype of glasses. Some historians, based on ancient engravings, believe that glasses were invented in China in the 7th-9th centuries. but whether they were optical or sunscreen is not exactly known.

The study of the eye as an optical system was first taken seriously by an Arab scientist of the 9th century. Abu Ali al-Hasan, known in Europe as Al-khazen. In his fundamental work, The Book of Optics, he relied on the research of a Roman physician of the 2nd century BC. Galena. Al-Hassan described in detail how an image of an object is created on the retina of the eye with the help of a lens. However, the essence of myopia, farsightedness and other visual defects, in which the focus of the lens shifts relative to the retina, was finally clarified only in the 19th century. and before that, points were chosen virtually at random until the desired effect was achieved.

On the Swedish island of Gotland, in a hoard buried about a thousand years ago by the Vikings, lenses of a complex aspherical shape made of rock crystal were found. similar shape lenses was theoretically calculated only in the 17th century. Rene Descartes. In his work, he pointed out that these lenses will give an excellent image, but still for a long time no optician could make them. It remains a mystery who and for what purpose could grind the lenses from the Viking hoard.

Glasses seller. Engraving after a painting by Giovanni Stradano. 16th century

It is believed that glasses were invented in Italy at the end of the 13th century. their invention is attributed to the monk Alessandro Spina or another monk Salvino D "Armata. The first documentary evidence of the existence of glasses dates back to 1289, and their first image was found in the church of Treviso on a fresco painted in 1352 by the monk Tommaso da Modena. Until the 16th century glasses were used only for farsightedness, then glasses with concave glasses for nearsightedness appeared.Over time, the shape of the glasses changed and the frame, temples appeared.In the 19th century, Benjamin Franklin invented bifocal lenses, which are designed for distance at the top and work at the bottom close.

J. B. Chardin. Self-portrait with glasses. 1775

Jan van Eyck. Madonna and Child with Canon Joris van der Pale. Fragment. 1436

Photochromic lenses (“chameleons”) were created in 1964 by Corning specialists. These were glass lenses, the photochromic properties of which were imparted by silver and copper salts. Polymer lenses with photochromic properties appeared in the early 1980s, but due to significant shortcomings low speed darkening and lightening, as well as extraneous color shades, are not widely used. In 1990, Transition optical released more advanced plastic photochromic lenses that gained immense popularity.

Contact lenses are considered a relatively young invention, but Leonardo da Vinci worked on their device. How to put the lens directly on eyeball, many scientists thought, but only in 1888 the Swiss ophthalmologist Adolf Fick described the device of a contact lens and started experiments. Mass production of contact lenses was started in Germany by the famous optical company Carl Zeiss. The first samples were completely glass, quite large and heavy. In 1937, polymethyl methacrylate lenses appeared. In 1960, Czechoslovak scientists Otto Wichterle and Dragoslav Lim synthesized a new polymer material HEMA developed the rotational polymerization method and carried out the production of soft contact lenses. At the same time, hydrogel lenses were developed in the USA.

With regard to the magnifying power of single lenses, it soon became clear that it was limited, since an increase in the convexity of the lens leads to distortion of the image. But if you place two lenses (eyepiece and objective) between the eye and the object in series, the magnification will be much greater. With the help of a lens at the focal point, a real image of the observed object is created, which is then enlarged by an eyepiece that acts as a magnifying glass. The invention of the microscope (from the Greek mikros "small" and skopeo "look") is associated with the names of the Dutch John Lippershey and father and son Jansen (late 16th century). In 1624, Galileo Galilei created his compound microscope. The first microscopes gave a magnification of up to 500 times, while modern optical microscopes allow you to achieve a 2000-fold increase.

Simultaneously with the first microscopes, telescopes (or spyglasses) appeared (their invention is attributed to the Dutchmen Zacharias Jansen and Jakob Metius, although Leonardo da Vinci made the first attempts to look at stars with lenses). Galileo was the first to point a spotting scope at the sky, turning it into a telescope (from the Greek tele “far away”). Operating principle optical telescope the same as that of a microscope, the only difference is that the lens of the microscope gives an image of a close small body, and a telescope of a distant large one. However, since the end of the 17th century, telescopes have used a concave mirror as an objective.

Otto Wichterle in the laboratory.

Among other things, lenses are used in the field of photography, film, television and video filming, as well as for the projection of finished images. The lens of a camera and similar equipment is an optical system of several lenses, sometimes in combination with mirrors, which is designed to project an image onto a flat surface. The curvature of the objective lenses is calculated so that possible aberrations (distortions) are mutually compensated. Joseph Niépce, who created one of the first cameras in 1816, borrowed a lens for it from a microscope.

Since the second half of the last century, for observations of various micro and macro objects, along with optical systems higher resolution electronics are used. However, lenses are still used so widely that it would be rather difficult to list all their applications.

Camera of Joseph Niépce.

Telescope refractor at the Lick Observatory. California, USA.

The First Contact Lenses - Who Invented? | Inventions and discoveries

Contact lenses instead of glasses are chosen not only for beauty. With severe myopia, with some specific disorders vision and for sports, their advantages are undeniable. We owe the possibility of choosing between one and the other to Heinrich Wölck, who invented contact lenses made of plexiglass in 1940.

Forerunners and pioneers

The idea of optical glass worn directly on the eye came as early as 1636 to the French philosopher René Descartes. But it took almost 250 years until Adolf Eigen Flick created a contact lens prototype. However, his "scleral" glasses were large, heavy and caused many inconveniences.

Breakthrough and further development

Heinrich Wölck, who suffered from severe farsightedness from childhood, experienced it himself. Looking for best solution he came across a new glass-like man-made material called PMMA, colloquially called plexiglass. Its use made it possible to significantly reduce the diameter of the lenses and increase the wearing time to several hours.

Soft contact lenses made of hydrotel, developed by Otto Wichterle in 1961, turned out to be much more convenient. They kept their shape better, irritated the cornea less and, unlike hard lenses made of plexiglass, let oxygen through. Scientists continued to work intensively on improving the material. Modern contact lenses have high oxygen permeability. There are models of one-day, weekly or monthly wear. There are colored lenses and even lenses with a pattern - but this is certainly only for beauty.

1299 in Italy began to wear glasses.

1971 The first soft contact lenses appeared in Germany and the USA.

1976 Oxygen-permeable hard contact lenses went on sale.

1982 Multifocal lenses help to see well at different distances.

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Useful information about contact lenses - from the history of creation to practical advice

When and how were contact lenses invented?

Let's look into a brief history making contact lenses. The first mention of the very principle of corrective lenses dates back to 1508 and was made in the book The Code of the Eye, written by the great dreamer Leonardo da Vinci, he first touched upon the issue of eye optics.

But it cannot be said that Leonardo da Vinci was the inventor of contact lenses, he just drew attention to the principles of refraction of light entering the eye. In his work, he did not touch upon the issue of vision correction.

The first glasses that refracted light were useless and impossible to wear. For example, in 1632, Res Descartes put a glass tube filled with water over his eyes. One of the drawbacks of his attempt was that the person using the invention could not blink.

The first contact lenses were invented by a German named Fick, who in 1888 made a brown glass shell-shaped scleral contact lens and placed it on the edge of his eye.

The advantage of his invention was that the lens did not affect the sensitive cornea of the eye and could be used for several hours. Fick called his invention contact glasses.

The introduction of plastic

At the very beginning, lenses were made of glass, this continued until the 1930s, before the invention of plastic. The first plastic used in the optical industry was called plexiglas, or PMMA.

A corneal lens is a lens that fits only on the cornea of the eye, this is what we call a contact lens today.

In 1948, Kevin Touhy received the first patent for the manufacture of corneal contact lenses from PMMA plastic. His invention was much more compact than previous lenses and, as its name suggests, only covered the cornea of the eye.

The birth of modern contact lenses

A big step forward was made in 1959, when the Czech chemist Otto Wichterle invented soft water-containing lenses made from HEMA (hydroxyethyl methacrylate) material.

His patent for making soft contact lenses was later sold to Bausch and Lomb and in 1971 the material was improved by the FDA under the trademark Soflens®. This is how modern contact lenses were born.

Breakthrough in the development of contact lenses.

The first toric lenses for astigmatism were introduced in 1978, followed a year later by rigid gas permeable lenses (RGP).