The history of the Contact Lense goes back in time much, much longer than you would expect

To many the contact lense was one of the wonders of the Twentieth Century. But, did you know that the contact lense was actually one of the sketches done by the famous inventor Leonardo de Vinci way back in 1508? Just goes to show you, sometimes what you think is a new development is in fact just technology catching up with our dreams. Anyhow, here's a brief history of the contact lense:

• 1508: First sketches are done by Leonardo de Vinci
• 1632: Rene Descartes invents the first corneal contact lense
• 1801: Descartes primitive invention is further developed by an inventor suffering from visual problems - Thomas Young
• 1887: The first usable contact lense is unveiled to the world by F.E. Muller
• 1936: The first "American" contact lense is made
• 1960: Developers star to toy with the idea of using water permeating plastic as a means of producing a "comfortable" contact lense
• 1971: The "soft" lense goes on general sale in America for the first time
• 1980: The first tinted lens becomes available for commercial purchase
• 1982: Bifocal lenses are available for commercial distribution1986: "Hard" contact lenses become commercially available
• 1987: Disposable lenses become commercially available
• 1992: Disposable tinted lenses become commercially available
• 1998: Multifocal disposable lenses become commercially available
• 1999: Extended wear lense are developed
• 2003: Night & Day wear lenses are developed.

So, although most of the break-through development of the contact lense occurred in the latter part of the Twentieth Century, the history of contact lense development goes back a little further than that!

Shop for Contact Lenses: