ARCH IW UM HISTORII I FILOZOFII M EDYCYNY 2012, 75, 127-130
S IB Y L L E K. SC H O LT Z , G E R D U. A U F F A R T H
50 years of Soft Contact Lenses: Life and Impact of Prof. Otto Wichterle
50 lat miękkich soczewek kontaktowych. Życie i dorobek profesora Ottona Wichterlego
International Vision Correction Research Centre (IV CRC), Dept. o f Ophthalmology, University of Heidelberg, Germany
Summary
Prof. Otto W ichterle w as one o f the pioneers o f m odern soft contact lens industry; his w ork has made a significant im pact on the ophthalm ic world. 50 years ago, in 1961, Otto W ichterle produced the first soft contact lenses in his own kitchen b y spin cast technique using a children’s m echanical kit M erku r and dynam o for bicycles. The same year he submitted a patent for H EM A (Hydroxy- ethylm ethacrylate). Today, as a result o f his fundam en
tal research m illions o f people around the world enjoy com fortable vision with soft contact lenses. Even after using m odern Refractive Surgery techniques to improve vision, Contact Lenses are still important for people with refractive errors. They are necessary and helpful when dealing with Refractive Surgery complications (e.g. com plications with the cut and irregularities o f the cornea).
In interactive discussions o f treating remaining refractive errors after Refractive Surgery contact lenses will be one possible com fortable solution.
W ichterle’s invention o f the h yd ro ph ilic m aterial H E M A (H ydroxyethylm ethacrylate) is not o n ly used for manufacturing soft, hydrophilic contact lenses, which he invented too, but can also be used for producing hy
drophilic intraocular lenses. W ichterle’s inventions have changed the ophthalm ic world fundam entally — in only 50 years!
Keywords: C on tact Lens, H isto ry o f C hem istry, Soft Contact Lens, Wichterle
Streszczenie
Profesor Otto W ichterle b ył jedn ym z pionierów n o
w oczesnego przem ysłu m iękkich soczew ek kontakto
w ych; jego praca w yw arła ogrom ny w p ływ na rozwój okulistyki. 50 lat tem u, w 1961 roku, Otto W ichterle w yprodukow ał pierwsze m iękkie soczew ki kontaktowe w swojej kuchni, stosując technologię „spin cast” przy p o m o cy m echanicznych zestaw ów dla dzieci M erku r i dynam a rowerowego. Tego samego roku złożył w n io
sek patentowy na H EM A (m etakrylan hydroksyetylu).
O becnie w w yniku jego prac badawczych m iliony ludzi na całym świecie korzystają z wyższego kom fortu życia dzięki m iękkim soczewkom kontaktowym. Nawet w cza
sach gdy dostępne są nowoczesne m etody chirurgicznej korekcji w ad wzroku, soczew ki kontaktowe m ają duże znaczenie dla osób z takim i wadam i. Są one niezbędne w postępow aniu przy powikłaniach po chirurgicznych zabiegach refrakcyjnych (tj. zabiegach związanych z cię
ciem rogówki). Ponadto stosowane są w korygow aniu w ad w zroku pozostałych po zabiegach refrakcyjnych.
Hydro filny materiał H EM A (m etakrylan hydroksyetylu) w ynaleziony przez W ichterlego jest używ any nie tylko do produkcji m iękkich hydrofilnych soczew ek kontak
towych, ale również do produkcji hydrofilnych soczewek w ewnątrzgałkowych. W ynalazki W ichterlego zm ieniły gruntow nie świat okulistyki w zaledwie 50 lat.
Słowa kluczowe: soczewka kontaktowa, historia chemii, m iękka soczewka kontaktowa, Otto Wichterle
128 BIOGRAFIE
Introduction
Prof. Otto W ichterle (fig. 1) w as one o f the pioneers o f m odern Contact Lens industry and had significant im pact on today’s ophthalm ic world. Due to his work, now adays m illions o f people around the w orld enjoy com fortable vision w ith soft Contact Lenses. Contact Lenses becom e more and more im portant w hen visual function needs to be restored. [2, 4-7, 10 - 12 , 14].
Material and Methods
This article is based on an intensive literature research o f current and historic literature via PubM ed, G oogle Scholar and G oogle in order to docum ent the life and to evaluate the scientific im pact o f Otto W ichterle’s work.
Results: A remarkable biography o f an exceptional scientist
Otto W ich terle w as b o rn on O cto b er 27, 19 13 , in Prostejov, now the Czech Republic but, prio r to W orld W ar I, a part o f the A ustro-H u n garian Em pire. He was the youngest child o f a m anufacturer o f agricultural m achines. A fter his tim e at school, at first he w as inter
ested in becom ing an engineer, but w as convinced by a friend to study ch em istry at the technical U niversity o f Prague, at that tim e C zechoslovakian Republic. In 1936 he received his PhD degree. He stayed at the U n i
versity o f Prague; his m ajor interests w ere m edicine and polym er chem istry; his scientific w o rk at that time dealt w ith sugar chem istry. In 1939 he fulfilled all the necessary requirem ents to receive the title and function o f an A ssociate Professor for O rganic Chem istry. The Inaugural Lecture w as planned for end o f N ovem ber the sam e year. Due to the w ar activities the Universities w ere closed b y the G erm an s before W ichterle could im plem ent this lecture. W ichterle’s intransigent attitude towards the authorities m ade him a disliked person for the com m unist regime. Instead o f giving in, he endured bureaucratic difficulties and hindrances b y being tena
cious and steadfast.
Because research activities had been blocked during the G erm an occupation, W ichterle joined the research institute o f the com pany Bata in Z lin, w hich w as the w orld’s biggest m anufacturer o f shoes at that time. D ur
ing his time at Bata he kept busy developing synthetic fibers, predom inantly Polyam ide 6. His w o rk was sig
nificantly im portant for the international reputation o f the Czech industry: 1941 W ichterle developed the first polyam ide fibers, w hich were suitable for spinning. In
dustrial production under the name Silon was delayed for 10 years because on one hand this invention was kept as a secret b y the Germ an Occupation, on the other hand because o f post w ar problem s o f the Czech industry.
f i g
.
1. Prof. Dr. Otto Wichterle (1913-1998) [4]D uring the w ar W ichterle was im prisoned b y the G e
stapo, set free after a few months.
A fter the w ar W ichterle decided to go back to u n i
versity research, he join ed the technical institutes in Brno and Prague. Finally he had the possibility for his Inaugural Lecture and was appointed Professor for Poly
m er C hem istry at the Technical University o f Prague. In 1952 he was nom inated as D ean o f the new ly established Institute for Chem ical Technology in Prague — six years later he was dism issed from this position because o f po
litical activities o f the com m unists — W ichterle had to leave the institute.
D uring an international sym posium the Czech State A dm inistration w as persuaded to found an institute for synthetic polym ers which was established in 1958 as “ In
stitute for m acrom olecular chem istry” o f the C zecho
slovakian A cadem y o f Science (CSAS) — W ichterle had joined this society in 1955 [1, 5, 6, 9, 13, 24].
Otto Wichterle and his contribution to Ophthalmology
From 1952 W ichterle focused his scientific interest on the developm ent o f hydrogels w hich could be used as replacem ent for the vitreous b o d y o f the eye. The m ost im portant experim ents w hich led to the developm ent o f a hydrophilic gel were perform ed in the kitchen o f his tiny flat in Prague. A s a m em ber o f Otto W ichterle’s team the Czech chem ist and W ichterle’s assistant D ra- h oslav Lim w orked on the developm ent o f a clear hy
drogel with a water absorption o f approxim ately 40%
which showed acceptable mechanical properties: H EM A
SIBYLLE K. SCHOLTZ, GERD U. AUFFARTH, 50 YEARS OF SO FT CON TA CT LENSES 129
CH2= C H C 0 2Me + HOCH2CH2OH ----► CH2= = CHC02CH2CH20H
f i g
.
2. HEMA (Hydroxyethylmethacrylate), first soft ContactLens material developed by Otto Wichterle
(H ydroxyethylm ethacrylate, fig. 2), the m aterial later used for the first soft contact lenses. Lim discovered the tridim ensional structure o f reticulated polym ers. Their w ork w as published in “ Nature” and was also subject o f US patents, they filed patent PV 187-53 for a whole range o f h ydroph ilic m aterials, sparsely cross-lin ked hydrophilic gels and their applications. In discussions with Dr. M axim ilian D reifuss, a Czech ophthalm olo
gist, as well as supported b y clinical trials carried out b y D reifuss W ichterle came the idea for the production o f contact lenses m ade from the new m aterial H EM A . Dreifuss fitted some o f the early soft lenses at the Second
f i g
.
3. By using a “Merkur” construction kit for children, a motor of a phonograph and a dynamo for bicycles the first Contact Lenses were produced 1961 in Wichterle’s home [4]
O phthalm ological C linic in Prague and proved that soft contact lenses could work. The M in istry o f Health, how ever, decided to stop funding his research so W ichterle continued the experim ents at hom e. [1, 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, 17, 20, 22, 26 -28].
Using a children’s m echanical kit called M erkur, the m otor o f a phonograph and a dynamo meant for bicycles, W ichterle produced in 1961 the first soft contact lenses b y using a spin cast technique, which needs only one m old that is turned b y a m otor (fig. 3, 4). U sing the centrifugal forces contact lenses can be m anufactured this w ay (this technique is still used today). That same year the m aterial “ H E M A ” w as subm itted as a patent to the Czech authorities. The following year, W ichterle developed, again in his own flat, a half-autom atic spin cast device — a m ethod which allowed mass production o f contact lenses [1, 3-7, 18].
The international interest in these new “soft contact lenses”, w ith a com fort su rpassin g b y far the “ h ard ” PM M A contact lenses in use, was high from the v e ry be
ginning. A s a consequence — without Wichterle’s aware
ness and without any form o f m onetary com pensation or recognition extended to him — the Czech Institute o f Science sold W ichterle’s patent for circa 330.000 U S$
to Dr. R o b ert J. M orrison , an A m erican optom etrist w ho saw the potential in W ichterle’s invention in 1964.
Even having no technical background M artin Pollack und Jerom e Feldm an o f “ National Patent Developm ent C orp” (NPD) offered M orrison 1 M io U S$ and bought 1965 the patent from him . One year later the N P D sold the patent to Bausch & Lom b for 3 M io. US$. From this mom ent mass production o f soft contact lenses began in the United States. The first Contact Lens Congress took place in Prague (CR) in 1965.
A s tim e went on the im portance o f Otto W ichterle’s revolutionary development received recognition, rather belated. In his honor, the asteroid 3899 was nam ed after him in 1993. Otto W ichterle died shortly before his 85th birthday on August 18, 1998 [1, 3 -8 , 10 -14 , 19].
f i g
.
4. The first soft Contact Lenses „Spofa“ and „Geltakt“ werestored and delivered in glass vials filled with saline solution [7]
Discussion
Otto Wichterle’s life shows the career o f a Czech chemist, anti-ideological in personality who was the inventor o f the polyam ide fiber and the soft contact lens, which was hardly noticed. He also represents the tragedy o f people, whose country, em erging from the chaos o f W orld War 2, endured occupation for h a lf a century with steadfast
ness and pragm atism whatever the circum stances were.
Otto W ichterle well deserves his place as a Czech in the pantheon o f international science.
For optical supply o f eyes with irregularities o f the cor
nea generally hard or RGP Contact Lenses are fitted. These
130 BIOGRAFIE
special contact lenses should only be fitted by rare Contact Lens specialists who have great experience in optical sup
ply o f those special eyes. Soft Contact Lenses, developed by Otto Wichterle, are widely used in Europe and other parts o f the w orld to compensate eye errors as an alternative to glasses. Soft contact lenses are also used for cosmetic rea
sons as tinted lenses can change eye color and cover some cosmetic eye defects. Another common use is in Refractive Surgery as bandage Contact Lenses after so called surface laser ablation, nam ely PRK or LASEK. Soft contact lenses also help to treat eyes with epithelial defects.
Even w ith usin g m odern R efractive Su rgery tech
niques Contact Lenses have still their place in helping people with refractive errors. M any people with refrac
tive errors prefer soft contact lenses over glasses or re
fractive surgery.
Contact lenses are nowadays available for alm ost all refractive errors; they are available as spheric, aspheric, toric and multifocal models made from numerous varia
tions o f hydrogels [15, 21, 23]. W ith a total o f 13.1% o f the 15 -6 4 years old population w earin g contact lenses in Europe, Sweden is leading the penetration ranks, ahead o f D enm ark (11.6%) and N orw ay (10.1% ). Lowest is G er
m any (3.2%) [25].
Prof. Otto Wichterle was an outstanding m an o f hon
or and a remarkable scientist. His vision o f life without glasses became reality by his high tenacity and exception
al com m itm ent to science, even in adverse conditions for w hich he w as not responsible. Due to his attainment in creating soft, hydrophilic contact lenses m illions o f people suffering from refractive errors have been able to achieve natural vision again.
From Prague around the world — in only 50 years Otto W ichterle’s invention conquered the globe!
References
1. Wichterle O., Recollections, ID E U REPRO , Prague 1 9 9 4, 1-2 2 9.
2. Schmitz E.-H., Handbuch zur Geschichte der Optik, Wayenborgh, Oostende 1993, 381-766.
3. Wichterle O., Fragen zur Geschichte der hydrophilen Gelkontakt-Linsen [in:] Contactologia 1980, 3, 163-170.
4. Scholtz S.K., Eckart W.U., Von Leonardo da Vinci bis Otto Wichterle — der harte Weg der weichen Kontaktlinse [in:] D O Z 2005, 6, 78-79.
5. Imafidon C., Otto Wichterle, der Erfinder der Weich- linse lebt weiter... [in:] Die Kontaktlinse 1999, 04, 25-26.
6. Hudlicky M., M y Reminiscences on Professor Otto Wichterle [in:] The Chemical Educator© 1998, Vol. 3, No.
6, 1 4 3 0-4 1 7 1.
7. Brachner A., Hundert Jahre Kontaktlinse — Vom Leses- tein zur Kontaktlinse, Vereinigung Deutscher Contactlin- senspezialisten, Munchen 1988, 62.
8. Baron H., Kontaktlinsen, Verlag Optische Fach- veroffentlichung, Heidelberg 1991, 1-19.
9. Wichterle O., Lim D., Hydrophilic gels fo r biological use [in:] Nature 1960, 185, 117-118.
10. Heitz R., History o f contact lenses, The CLAO Guide to Basic Science and Clinical Practice, Contact Lenses, New York 1984, 1-19.
11. Scholtz S., Vom Lesestein zur LA SIK, Shaker Verlag, Aachen 2006, 152-166.
12. Streitenberg H., Kontaktlinsenvademecum, Karger, Basel 1994, 1-14 .
13. Wichterle O., Lim D., Dreifus M., A contribution to the problem o f contact lenses [in:] Cesk. Oftal. 17, 70-75.
14. Phillips A., Stone J., Contact Lenses, Butterworths, London 1989, 1-33.
15. Gisler T., Praxis der Kontaktlinsenanpassung, Gisler- Verlag, Mullheim (CH) 1993, 45-76.
16. Burki E., Augenarztlich Kontaktlinsenanpassung, Enke, Stuttgart 1991, 61-69.
17. Kreiner C., Kontaktlinsenchemie, Median, Heidelberg 1980, 10 2-110.
18. Ruben M., Kontaktlinsenanpassung, Enke, Stuttgart 1978, 1-6 .
19. Ruben M., Guillon M., Contact Lens Practice, Chap
man & Hall, London 1994, 1-2 1.
20. Falbe J., Regitz M., Rompp Lexikon Chemie, Thieme Verlag, Stuttgart 1997, 1835.
21. Augustin A., Augenheilkunde, Springer Verlag, Berlin 2 0 0 1, 5 6 9-5 7 9.
22. Herbst V., Kontaktlinsenfibel, Wissenschaftliche Ver- lagsgesellschaft, Stuttgart 1988, 37-46.
23. Hamano H., Ruben M., Kontaktlinsen, Orac, Wien 1987, 35-3 6.
24. Potsch W.R., Fischer A., Muller W., Lexikon bedeu- tender Chemiker, V E B Bibliographisches Institut, Leipzig 1988.
25. EU RO M C O N TA CT a.i.s.b.l., A Comparison o f Eu
ropean Soft Contact Lens and Lens Care Markets in 2010 [online], www.euromcontact.org.
26. Wichterle O., Lim D., Process fo r producing shaped articles from three-dimensional hydrophilic high polymers, US Patent 2,976,576, March 28, 1961.
27. Wichterle O., Lim D., Cross-linked hydrophilic poly
mers and articles made therefrom, US Patent 3,220,960, November 30, 1965.
28. Bowden T., Gasson A., Overseas Contact Lens Pioneers, British Contact Lens Association, London, 2006 [online], http://www.bcla.org.uk, http://www.bowdenandlowe.com/
Links/9488OverseasPioneerslarge3.pdf.
