Progress in Eye Care

The Lens

The history of the lens as it is used for correcting poor eyesight dates back hundreds of years. Salvino D’Armate is credited with inventing the first pair of wearable eyeglasses in Italy in 1284. The first pictorial evidence of them in use was in a 1352 portrait of the Cardinal Hugh de Provence as painted by Tomaso da Modena. Theories abounded over the years as to who exactly should be credited with the invention of traditional eyeglasses, with no final determination as to exactly when they came into general use. While the exact date and inventor may continue to be disputed well into the future, the agreed-upon date at present is 1284.

The earliest types of spectacles were created using convex lenses that could correct both farsightedness, known as hyperopia, as well as presbyopia, which is the general failure of eyesight as a person ages. While Nicholas of Cusa is believed to have discovered the benefits of the concave lens to treat nearsightedness (also known as myopia), it was not until 1604 that Johannes Kepler published his treatise on optics and astronomy, which offered the first scientifically correct explanation as to why and how convex and concave lenses could correct certain eyesight issues. Then we come to Benjamin Franklin, the famous American scientist who suffered from both myopia and presbyopia.

His invention was the bifocal, first created in 1784 as a means to avoid continually switching between two pairs of glasses. Following that invention were the first lenses for correcting astigmatism, invented in 1825 by George Airy, a British astronomer. Over the years, the construction of the frames evolved, as well as the lenses. Bifocals were followed by trifocals, which were followed by progressive lenses, contact lenses, and laser corrective eye surgery. Yet despite all of these new methods to improve eyesight, for many of us there still remains the hunt for the elusive perfect pair of glasses.

The Solution

Progressive lenses have begun to become more popular in recent years. Rather than focusing upon two or three different lenses within a specific frame, progressive glasses allow the user to see through the use of a gradient increase of lens power. The top of the lens is the lowest gradient, while the highest level of gradient, or the maximum magnification, is along the bottom of the lens. This allows the wearer to simply adjust the angle of their head depending upon whether or not they are looking at an object close at hand or far away. However, they are far more expensive than bifocals and trifocals, and can be difficult for the wearer to adjust to.

The contact lens came about in the modern era, and it is estimated that they are worn by over 125 million people, a far greater number than those who use traditional glasses. The appearance and practicality of the contact lens is the primary reason for its popularity, removing the need for a bulky frame, but they are also superior to glasses because there is no frame or exterior lens to collect water, steam, or narrow the field of vision. And while Leonardo da Vinci is often credited with being the man who developed the concept for the contact lens, it was not until 1959 when Czech chemists Otto Wichterle and Drahoslav Lim published their work on “Hydrophilic Gels for Biological Use” in Nature Journal that contact lenses moved to mass production, with FDA approval in 1971.

In the latter part of the 20th century, corrective eye surgery came into play, with the most common being LASIK, or laser eye surgery. However, there are various forms of eye surgery performed, such as cataract surgery, glaucoma surgery, refractive surgery, corneal surgery, Vitreo-retinal surgery, eye muscle surgery, and others. Each different eye surgery offers a way for an individual’s vision to be corrected. And to think, it all started with a simple lens hundreds of years ago.

Correcting Eyesight in the Modern Era

There have been many over the years who have been credited with making advancements to corrective lenses and eyesight. Two of the more progressive inventions of recent years are derived from the work of Josh Silver, a professor of physics at Oxford University, and Dr. Stephen Kurtin.

Silver’s invention is a pair of glasses that rely upon the principle that the thicker the lens, the more powerful it becomes. His frames contain a pair of extremely strong plastic lenses with two transparent, circular sacs filled with fluid. Each sac contains a small syringe attached to each arm of the frame, which allows the wearer to adjust the dial on the syringe to either add or reduce the amount of fluid in the membrane, thus changing the power of the lens. Once the wearer reaches a level he is comfortable with, he simply twists a small screw, the syringe is removed, and the user suddenly has a pair of glasses that are the equivalent of a custom prescription. His goal? To create a pair of glasses that are available to the millions of people worldwide who are lacking in eye care in poorer countries. Over 30,000 of his glasses have already been distributed.

Meanwhile, Dr. Kurtin has been working for nearly 20 years on a pair of glasses that relies upon a mechanically adjustable focus that allows the wearer to adjust the focus of the devices within the frames using a slider on the top of the bridge. This operates by using a back glass and a front glass with a fluid-filled inner membrane whose surface curvature can be altered mechanically. His invention is currently being sold in the United States, and Dr. Kurtin hopes that his product will eventually be available to the entire world.

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