You may be surprised to learn that the Italian inventor, artist and scientist Leonardo da Vinci is credited with describing and sketching the first ideas for contact lenses in 1508!  But it was more than 300 years later before contact lenses were actually fabricated and worn on the eye. 

The Early Years - Glass Contact Lenses

The Introduction of Hard Plastic Lenses

The Soft Contact Lens Revolution

Highlights in Contact Lens History 

1508         Leonardo da Vinci describes and sketches the first ideas for contact lenses.

1632         French mathematician Rene Descartes suggests placing a lens directly on the eye to correct vision.

1827         English astronomer Sir John Herschel proposes making a mold of the wearer's eyes so contact lenses can be made to conform perfectly to the front of the eye.

1887         German glassblower F.E. Muller produces the first glass contact lens.

1888         Swiss physician A.E. Fick and Paris optician Edouard Kalt report using glass contact lenses to correct vision.

1929         Hungarian physician Joseph Dallos introduces an improved method to take molds of living eyes so contact lenses can be made to fit more closely to the eye.

1936         New York optometrist William Feinbloom produces the first contact lens containing both glass and plastic.

1948         California optician Kevin Tuohy begins manufacturing contact lenses made entirely of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) plastic.

1950         Oregon optometrist George Butterfield designs a plastic contact lens with multiple inside curves for better fitting characteristics and increased comfort.

1956         Czech chemist Otto Wichterle begins making contact lenses with a soft, water-absorbing plastic he helped create.

1971         The first commercially available soft contact lens is introduced in the United States by Bausch & Lomb.

1978         The first toric soft contact lens is introduced in the U.S. for the correction of astigmatism.

1979         The first rigid gas permeable (RGP) hard contact lens is introduced.

1981         Extended wear soft contact lenses are introduced.

1982         Bifocal daily wear soft contact lenses became available for commercial distribution.

1983         The first tinted RGP lens became available for commercial distribution.

1986         An extended wear RGP lens became available for commercial distribution.

1987         Disposable soft contact lenses became available for commercial distribution; a soft contact lens to change eye color became available for commercial distribution; first multipurpose lens care product made available for commercial distribution.

A new formulation of fluorosilicone acrylate material for RGP lenses became available for commercial distribution.

1991         Frequent replacement soft contact lenses are introduced.

1992         Tinted disposable soft contact lenses are introduced.

1995         One-day disposable soft contact lenses are introduced.

1996         First disposable lenses using ultra-violet absorber are available in the U.S.

1999         Disposable bifocal soft contact lenses are introduced.