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A Brief History of Contact Lenses

That's Super Interesting

Release Date: 08/03/2025

Many people with not-so-perfect vision take contact lenses for granted. But how and when did they become so easily accessible? We explore the history of contact lenses and come across some funny anecdotes about their origins and evolution. And bonus: there's even a fun science adjacent activity you can try at home.

We'd like to thank retired optomestrict, Christine Janty, for sharing her expertise with us! 

Sources: 

https://www.eyecarecenter.com/how-do-glasses-work

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Willebrord-Snell

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Sahl_(mathematician)

https://www.glasses.com/gl-us/blog/when-were-glasses-invented#:~:text=It%20is%20generally%20accepted%20that,the%20bridge%20of%20the%20nose.

https://www.contactlenses.org/timeline.htm

https://www.warbyparker.com/learn/when-were-contacts-invented#:~:text=In%20the%201630s%2C%20French%20scientist,glass%20contact%20lens%20onto%20patients.

https://clspectrum.com/issues/2022/april/history-of-contact-lenses/

https://www.bbc.com/news/health-40630852

Leonardo da Vinci’s contact lens drawing. Image credit: supercurioso.com

Light refraction experiment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DeIVhcIo1V4