10 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 average age of wearers around the world is 31 years old.

5. Approximately 40%-90% of all contact 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.

At Professional VisionCare, we put your family’s needs first. Talk to us about how we can help you maintain healthy vision. Call us today: 614-898-9989 or book an appointment online to see one of our Lewis Center eye doctors.