Fun Facts
About Contact Lenses
Contact lenses are the vision correction of choice for many
people. These comfy little discs of plastic are seen as nothing short of a
miracle by people everywhere. If you’re interested in wearing them, book an eye
exam with your optometrist for a fitting to get started.
Now that you’re thinking about contacts, let’s discuss how much
you really know about this modern eyewear. Our optometrists in Lewis Center,
Westerville, Johnstown, and The Solution Center compiled this list of
intriguing facts:
1. The first contact lens was designed by Leonardo da Vinci in
1508. But his idea of wearing a water-filled glass hemisphere over the eye was
obviously impractical. In 1636, French philosopher Rene Descartes expounded on
the idea and proposed a glass tube to be worn directly on the cornea. But
because it blocked the eye from blinking, this “contact lens” was also never
produced. It took until 1888 for the first fitted contact lens (made from blown
glass) to be tolerated, constructed by Adolf Fick, a German ophthalmologist.
2. The first corneal contact lens to be worn widely was
developed in 1949. By the 1960s, it had gained mass appeal.
3. About 125 million people worldwide wear contact lenses, and
soft lenses are strongly preferred.
4. Two-thirds of contact lens wearers are female, and the typical
age of wearers around the world is 31 years old.
5. Approximately 40%-90% of all make contact with lens wearers
do not follow the proper instructions given by their optometrist, according to
the US National Library of Medicine.
6. Contacts are so safe that only 1 out of 500 people get a
serious eye infection!
7. Contacts can’t roll behind your eyeball and get stuck there;
your eye structure won’t allow it.
8. People who wear contacts have higher self-confidence than
those who wear glasses for vision correction, especially among teenagers.
9. Contact lenses come in a lot of types, from dailies to rigid
gas permeable to soft colored cosmetic contacts.
10. Modern contacts can’t pop out of your eye. That’s a design
from the olden days, when contacts could dislodge. That’s why contact lenses
are a great solution for active lifestyles and athletes.
Want to find out if contact lenses are for you? Our optometrist
in Lewis Center, Westerville, Johnstown, and The Solution Center offers contact
lenses fittings and eye exams.
.jpg)
