The history of contact lenses goes back 500 years to Leonardo da Vinci. German inventors developed the first actual lenses over a century ago. Modern methods have made contact lens more comfortable and wearable for longer periods of time.

The Idea

Leonardo da Vinci made sketches about changing how an eye refracts light by using water as a lens. Subsequently, other inventors used water and glass to investigate how they could change refractive power.

The First Contact Lens

The Germans used glass to create the first real contact lens and place it on the eye. The lens fit over the cornea and the white area of the eye.

The Modern Lens

The next major development, the corneal lens, a hard plastic lens that rested over the front of the eye, came out over 50 years ago. Its reduced size and weight made wearing it more comfortable.

Greater Permeability

In the 1970s, hard lenses of more permeable materials further increased wearability by allowing oxygen to pass through to the eye.

Soft Lenses

Soft contact lenses using a water-absorbent plastic called HEMA led to a boom in contact lens wearers after their introduction in 1971. People who could not wear hard lenses found the new lenses more comfortable. More developments, like even more permeable silicone-hydrogel lenses, colored lenses, disposable lenses, lower prices and easier maintenance have attracted more wearers than ever.

Source:

Contact Lens Council: A Brief History of Contact Lenses