The eye’s unique structure and impressive movement mechanism has amazed scientists since the early ancient period. Scientifically speaking, majority of all brain inputs come from vision, human or animal. Today’s vision solutions help nearly blind individuals survive toughest times by availing of cataract surgeries and all similar examinations to help diagnose symptoms of blindness and other eye problems as early as possible.

Eye vision is very important to attaining good quality of life, as almost all tasks and jobs make use of it. It is the ophthalmologists’ duty to restore or improve the vision and eyesight of their patients, with the help of breakthrough technologies such as laser surgery and other eye ailment solutions that have been widely available to the public. Truly, advance diagnosis and treatment of these eye diseases have developed doctor’s abilities to restore vision to their patients.

Vision solutions have been exposed to numerous studies and researches in 17^th and 18^th centuries with Antoine van Leeuwenhoek’s invention of microscope. This and other advances helped scientists continue on detailed researches on a more advanced model of the eye. Without anesthesia, 206 eye surgeries were delivered by Jacques Daviel to remove cataract complications, 182 of which were successful. The most significant ophthalmologist of the 19^th century, Albrecht von Graefe, also developed cataract extraction standards that have remained for over 100 years. In 1949, it was Sir Harold Ridley who made the first successful artificial intraocular lens implant, otherwise developed today as the contact lenses. His newly developed techniques received numerous criticisms and rejection at the time because of doubts regarding its feasibility and usefulness.

120 years ago, German scientists first developed scleral lenses, which were the early versions of contact lenses that were made of glass. The modern contact lenses were developed more than a half-century ago, made with smaller materials of hard plastic also known as PMMA. Theodore Obrig was the optician who discoverd the use of PMMA for contact lenses. The next contact lens variants offered better oxygen permeability that enhances comfort to the eye surface and keeps eye vision clean and stable.

Soft contact lenses were born in the name of HEMA, which is a powerful polymer that has the ability to absorb water. This is more comfortable than the PMMA lenses, so more contact lens users switched to this new variation as early as 1971. Many subsequent innovations were developed in manufacturing contact lenses that can be very comfortable and convenient to use while avoiding eye problems that can be caused by choosing irritable materials in the making.

A lot of contact lenses have also been manufactured for a variety of purposes. There are commercially available contact lenses that can be worn overnight. Colored lenses give a sense of fashion and unique style that also enhances eye color. Inventors have also designed a series of contact lenses to aid aging and irregularly shaped eyes in seeing even clearer and better at all distances.

Today, almost any contact lens designs, including contacts for astigmatism, are available in disposable kits. This perfectly makes contact lenses affordable and simpler to protect. There are also simplified methods to clean contact lenses in the form of multipurpose aqueous solutions that can come with the contact lens in a single package. Truly, contact lenses stand one step closer to restoring eye vision and comfort that everyone will enjoy and be thankful for.

Walking through the amazing history of contact lenses, it is hard to fathom the recent switch in the mind of the public from an incredible medical device to a simple commodity. It seems a big quesion is how to save money on contact lenses, which may not be a bad question but am I the only one fascinated by the history of contacts and how incredible they actaully are?