My watch list
my.chemeurope.com  
Login  

The Chemistry of Contact Lenses

29-Jun-2016

© Compound Interest

The Chemistry of Contact Lenses

For objects that essentially look like thin plastic films, there’s a surprising amount of chemistry behind contact lenses. This chemistry is designed to maximise comfort whilst they are being worn, and as such it’s also been constantly evolving and improving. Today’s post takes a look at some of the chemicals they have been composed of over the years, as well as what’s in contact lens cleaning solution.

Contact lenses have been around since the late 1800s, although in a far more uncomfortable guise. They were originally made of glass, folded from the eyes of rabbits or corpses, and could only be worn for short durations, no more than a few hours. These glass lenses were subsequently made slightly thinner, but didn’t really lend themselves to comfort, and as such never really became particularly popular.

More about Compound Interest
  • Infographics

    2018’s biggest science stories

    As we head into 2019, it’s time to take a look back at some of the biggest science news stories over the past year. This year’s science news featured water on Mars, the effects of e-cigarettes, new types of isomerism and bonding, and more! 2018 saw a number of significant discoveries in sci ... more

    Unleashing our immune systems against cancer

    The first of the 2018 Nobel Prizes is awarded. The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine was awarded to James P. Allison and Tasuku Honjo for their discovery of cancer therapy by stimulating the immune system to attack tumour cells. This graphic takes a look at the prize-winning research. more

    The creation of tools made from laser light

    After the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine has been awarded, it is physics' turn. The 2018 Nobel Prize in Physics was awarded to Arthur Ashkin, Gérard Morou and Donna Strickland for their pioneering innovations in the field of laser physics. Strickland is only the third woman to recei ... more

Your browser is not current. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 does not support some functions on Chemie.DE