8 Things You Didn't Know About Contact Lenses

8 Things You Didn't Know About Contact Lenses

Nowadays, it is common to see contact lenses sold everywhere. While prescriptions are required to purchase corrective contact lenses in some countries, you can get corrective lenses at spectacle stores, in departmental stores, and of course, online as well. Of course, contact lenses were not always as common and as safe as they are to use now in 2017.

Here are 8 facts about contact lenses that you may not know about!

 1. Leonardo da Vinci may have been the first person to write about the “idea” of contact lenses

In his book “Codex of the eye, Manual D” in 1508, Leonardo da Vinci wrote about how humans could alter the cornea of the eye by putting the head in a bowl of water, or wearing a water-filled glass hemisphere over the eye – almost something like the contact lenses we have today! While technology was not advanced enough to test da Vinci's theory fully in the 16th century, this can be said to be the beginning of contact lenses.

2. The earliest version of the first successful pair of contact lenses was tested on rabbits! Oh no!

German ophthalmologist Adolf Gaston Eugen Fick made the first successful pair of contact lenses from heavy blown glass. All scientific experiments requires testing, and in this case, Adolf tested the contact lenses on rabbits, before he tested them on himself and on a group of volunteers. While contact lens users nowadays can be grateful to Adolf for making such a breakthrough in contact lens advancement, do remember that the common person putting contact lenses on any animals nowadays is animal abuse.

3. Contact lenses were MUCH more expensive and fragile in the early and mid-1900s

Most people still favoured spectacles compared to contact lenses in the early and mid-1900s. After all, contact lenses then were expensive and fragile. There was even insurance to purchase for contact lenses, all because they were mostly used by wealthy people who could afford the contact lenses.

4. While there are many kinds of contact lenses on the market right now, there are basically two main types - soft contact lenses and hard contact lenses

Soft contact lenses are mass-produced, while hard contact lenses are custom-made to exact specifications. Hard contact lenses may be able to last for several years if taken good care of, while soft contact lenses are made to be disposed off easily once they “expire”.

5. Daily contact lenses and monthly contact lenses are made differently     

You may think that there's almost no difference between daily contact lenses and the contact lenses that are made to be worn for a month, but think again! Daily lenses are made thinner and lighter, which means they are more comfortable to wear. It is not recommended that you wear your daily lenses for more than 24 hours, as the thin and light material means they cannot last through repeated usage.

6. Complications from wearing contact lenses affect about 5% of those who wear contact lenses yearly     

As contact lenses are something you attach right on the very surface of your eyes, it’s no surprise that wearing contact lenses should be handled carefully. After all, one wrong move, and you could be like the 5% of contact lens users who experience negative effects. Such complications include dry eyes from keeping contact lenses in too long and sleeping in contact lenses (definitely a no-no!), red eyes from bacteria due to unsanitary habits, and more. So make sure you read how to look after your contact lenses and your eyes while putting contact lenses in, and you should have a pleasant and safe experience with using contact lenses.  

7. Contact lenses can do more than just improve sight and being a beauty accessory soon     

Ever heard of Google Contact Lens? Well, it’s a project by the search engine giant company to help people with diabetes measure their glucose level via tears. The lenses may alert the user about their low sugar levels by flashing a subtle light, reminding the diabetic about how they need to give themselves a glucose shot. Then there’s bionic contact lenses, which aims to help people make sense of their surroundings by having a virtual display appear in their field of sight. It’s like Google Glass, except now in contact lens format. Isn not technology great?

8. The contact lens industry is worth a lot of money globally

In the past two decades, the usage of contact lenses has exploded in popularity. Many people choose to use contact lenses over spectacles, especially those who were active in sports. It is estimated that the value of the contact lens market may reach over USD13.5 billion globally in 2020 – that's RM58,000,000,000! Clearly, with the rise of people needing vision correction and the fashion industry, contact lenses aren’t going anywhere. Find your cosmetic contact lens at LensVillage today!

 

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