1508 Leonardo da Vinci illustrates the concept of contact lenses 1823 British astronomer Sir John Herschel conceptualizes practical lens design 1887 First contact lens manufactured from glass, and fitted to cover the entire eye
1939 Contact lenses first made from plastic
1948 Plastic contact lenses designed to cover only the eye's cornea
1971 Introduction of soft contact lenses
1978 Introduction of GP contact lenses
1986 Overnight wear of GP contact lenses becomes available
1987 Introduction of disposable soft contact lenses
1996 Introduction of one-day disposable soft lenses
2002 Silicone-hydrogel contact lenses first marketed
2010 Custom-manufactured silicone-hydrogel lenses become available
How Many Ways are Contacts Used?
Contacts are mainly used to make it so you are able to see without the use of glasses. Glasses can become a burden to many people and contacts can completely take away that burden. They are also a lot more comfortable than glasses and are very useful.
Contacts also can change your eye color though. People throughout the world are using contacts to get a brand new eye color that they were not born with. Colored contact lenses allow you to change your eye color and create a look that's subtle, bold or anywhere in between — whether you want to enhance your everyday look or rock a crazy design for Halloween and other special occasions. Most colored contact lenses are designed to mimic the natural look of the colored part of the eye, called the iris. Since this area is made up of colorful shapes and lines, some color contacts feature a series of tiny colored dots and radially arranged colored lines and shapes to help the lenses look more natural on the eye.The center of the lens, the part that lies over your pupil, is clear so you can see.