The Complete History of Contact Lenses

Contact lenses are one of the most widely used corrective lenses in the world today, but their story stretches back hundreds of years. What began as simple sketches and ideas from some of history’s greatest thinkers eventually led to the invention of the first contact lens and the lightweight, breathable, and even high-tech lenses people wear today. The concept of contact lenses is a timeline of innovation, showing how science and creativity combined to improve the way we see.

1200s: The First Eyeglasses

The earliest step toward contact lenses began with glasses. Around the late 1200s in Italy, the first spectacles were created using a polished eyeglass lens to magnify text for reading. These “reading stones” quickly spread through Europe and marked the beginning of vision correction. Over the centuries, people continued to wear glasses, with improvements like curved lenses for distance vision and, in the 1700s, Benjamin Franklin’s invention of bifocals.

1508: Leonardo da Vinci’s Concept

In 1508, Leonardo da Vinci sketched one of the earliest concepts resembling contact lenses. His drawings showed how vision could be altered by placing the eye directly in contact with water through a glass lens or bowl. While his designs were never meant to be worn, they introduced the revolutionary idea that vision correction could happen right on the eye’s surface instead of through spectacles.

1636: René Descartes’ Idea

French philosopher René Descartes expanded on da Vinci’s vision in 1636. He described a device in which a glass tube filled with liquid was placed in direct contact with the cornea, with the other end shaped to correct vision. While impractical for real use because the design made it impossible to blink, it marked another important step toward the idea of contact lenses resting on the eye to improve vision.

1827: Sir John Herschel’s Corneal Moulds

In 1827, British astronomer Sir John Herschel proposed creating lenses that matched the exact shape of a person’s cornea. He suggested using moulds of the eye to craft a contact lens type that would rest comfortably and correct vision precisely. Although his idea was not realized at the time, it laid the groundwork for future innovations and showed how personalized design could make contact lenses practical, even for eyes with a slightly abnormal shape.

1888: The First Contact Lens

In 1888, German ophthalmologist Adolf Fick created the first successful glass contact lenses. Made of heavy blown glass, the scleral lens covered not only the cornea but also part of the white of the eye, which could only be worn for a few hours at a time due to discomfort and lack of oxygen flow. Still, it proved that lenses placed directly on the eye could correct vision. This breakthrough set the stage for decades of refinement.

Late 1800s–Early 1900s: Refining the First Lenses

After Adolf Fick’s 1888 breakthrough, other scientists and glassblowers in Europe worked to improve scleral lenses. German optician August Müller successfully wore a glass scleral lens in 1889 to correct his own severe myopia. Through the early 1900s, people attempting to wear early glass or experimental plastic contacts often found them fragile, handmade, and expensive. These lenses still covered the entire eye surface, making them difficult to tolerate for long periods.

1930s–1940s: Plastic Lenses Replace Glass

By the 1930s, advances in plastics led to the use of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) in contact lenses. These hard plastic contact lenses were much lighter and safer than fragile glass, though they were still rigid. Early versions were scleral, covering the entire front of the eye, but by the 1940s, smaller corneal contact lenses, designed to cover only the eye’s cornea rather than the entire eye, were introduced. These designs were more comfortable and marked a major shift toward practical, everyday use of contact lenses.

1961: The Birth of Soft Contact Lenses

In 1961, Czech chemist Otto Wichterle developed the first hydrogel soft contact lenses with a children’s toy set at home and a material that allowed water and oxygen to pass through. Unlike rigid plastic lenses, these soft contact lens products were flexible, lightweight, and far more comfortable to wear. This invention completely transformed contact lenses, paving the way for mass production and widespread use.

1970s: Health Canada Approval and Early Toric Lenses

By the early 1970s, soft contact lenses received Health Canada approval in the United States and quickly spread worldwide. Their comfort and ease of use made them far more popular than rigid or hard contact lenses, leading to rapid growth in the contact lens industry. This decade also marked the introduction of early soft toric lenses, offering new vision correction options for people with astigmatism.

1980s: Disposable and Multifocal Lenses

The 1980s brought another major shift with the development of disposable contact lenses, giving wearers the ability to replace their contacts more often for better hygiene and convenience. This period also saw the first multifocal lenses, designed to help people with presbyopia see clearly at near, intermediate, and far distances. These new designs could accommodate multiple prescriptions in a single lens, expanding the possibilities of contact lens wear and paving the way for the specialized options available today.

1990s: Silicone Hydrogel Lenses

The late 1990s brought the introduction of silicone hydrogel contact lenses, a major leap forward in contact lens technology. These lenses allowed far more oxygen to pass through to the cornea compared to traditional hydrogel materials, reducing dryness, irritation, and long-term risks like corneal hypoxia. For the first time, people could wear the same lens comfortably for longer periods without compromising eye health.

1995: Contact Lenses Go Online

During the dot-com boom of the mid-1990s, contact lenses first became available for purchase online in the United States. This shift marked the beginning of digital eyewear retail and laid the groundwork for global expansion. By the 2000s, Canadians were also able to order contact lenses online, making vision care more convenient and accessible than ever before.

2000s: Daily Disposables and Expanded Options

By the 2000s, daily disposable lenses had become mainstream, offering unmatched hygiene and ease of use. This decade also saw rapid growth in specialty lenses. Multifocal lenses gave people with presbyopia clearer near- and far-distance vision, while improved toric designs provided more reliable correction for astigmatism. Cosmetic and colored lenses gained popularity as well, helping contact lenses suit a variety of personal styles. Many wearers also enjoyed the convenience of being able to wear fresh contacts each day.

2010s: Health, Comfort, and Vision Enhancements

The 2010s marked a shift toward lenses designed for long-term eye health and comfort. Silicone hydrogel became the dominant material, allowing much more oxygen to reach the cornea and reducing complications from extended wear. Many lenses added UV protection and built-in moisture agents to fight digital eye strain in an increasingly screen-focused world. Specialty lenses emerged as options for patients with irregular corneas, while rigid gas permeable contacts remained valuable for those needing sharper vision and correction over only the eye’s cornea.

2017: Contacts For Less Founded

In 2017, Contacts For Less was launched online by Paul W. Slusher and Dr. Sureen Bachra as a family-owned Canadian company. From the beginning, their mission was unique: to donate more than half of their net profits to charity, letting customers choose where their contributions would go. This founding ethos set Contacts For Less apart from other retailers, combining affordable vision care with a commitment to social and environmental change. Today, the company continues to grow while staying true to its pledge of donating 51% of all net profits to organizations making a difference worldwide.

Early 2020s: Therapeutic and Drug-Delivering Lenses

One of the biggest leaps forward came in the early 2020s with the first drug-releasing contact lens, designed to deliver an antihistamine to relieve eye allergies. Research has since expanded into lenses that can release antibiotics, glaucoma medications, and even multiple drugs over time using nanoparticles or biodegradable polymers. These new designs often mimic the flexibility of modern materials while avoiding the drawbacks of older plastic glass lenses. As technology advanced, the role of the contact lens fitter became even more important in helping patients find therapeutic lenses that meet their medical needs.

Mid-2020s: Smart and Biosensing Lenses

Smart contact lenses are now moving from concept to reality. Prototypes include lenses that monitor tear fluid for biomarkers like glucose levels or intraocular pressure, giving doctors real-time data for managing conditions such as diabetes or glaucoma. Some research also explores lenses that generate their own power from eyelid motion or tear salinity, allowing them to run sensors or transmit data wirelessly. While soft lens technology dominates today, RGP lenses continue to serve patients needing sharper vision, just as RGP hard lenses began decades ago to address complex prescriptions.

2025–Beyond: Augmented Reality and Super-Vision

Several companies are developing contact lenses with built-in augmented reality. Startups like Mojo Vision and Xpanceo are working toward approval of lenses that can project digital overlays, provide zoom functions, enable night vision, and track health data. At the same time, lab experiments in China have produced “super-vision” lenses that use nanoparticles to let users see in the dark or perceive wavelengths normally invisible to the human eye.

Stay on the Leading Edge With Contacts For Less

The history of contact lenses shows how far vision correction has come, from heavy glass shells in the 1800s to today’s lightweight, breathable, and even high-tech lenses. What began as a concept on Leonardo da Vinci’s sketchpad has become a world of options designed for comfort, health, and clarity.

At Contacts For Less, we pride ourselves on staying at the leading edge of contact lens technology. Now you can choose the best lenses for your eyes, save money, and support the planet at the same time. Shop online with Contacts For Less today.