Contact Lens

Hello there. I'm so small you might not even see me, but I have a very big job. My name is Contact Lens. I'm a tiny, clear little helper that gets to sit right on someone's eye. It sounds tickly, but it's not. My whole job is to help people see the world clearly when things look a little fuzzy. Before me, people had to wear bulky glasses that could sometimes slide down their noses or get foggy. I love helping a child see the tiny red spots on a ladybug crawling on a leaf. I make it so they can see a friend’s happy smile from all the way across the playground. I am like a secret, magical window that makes everything sharp and bright.

But I wasn't always so soft and comfy. My story started a very, very long time ago. An amazing artist and inventor named Leonardo da Vinci had the first idea for me way back in the year 1508. He drew a picture of someone dipping their face in a bowl of water to see better. It was just an idea, but it was a great start. Hundreds of years later, in 1887, my great-great-grandparents were made. They were made of hard glass. Imagine having a tiny piece of glass on your eye. Ouch. They worked, but they weren't very comfortable, and not many people could wear them for long. Then, something wonderful happened. A very clever man named Otto Wichterle had a brilliant idea. On Christmas morning in 1961, he decided he could make a better me. He went right to his kitchen table. And guess what he used to build his first machine? His son’s toy building set. He used a small motor from a record player and other bits and pieces he found around the house. With his homemade machine whirring on the table, he created the first soft, squishy me. I was made from a special gel that loved water, which made me so comfortable that people could wear me all day and almost forget I was there. I was so excited. I said, “Now I can really help everyone see clearly.”

After I was born, I changed so many lives. Kids could run and play tag without their glasses falling off. Swimmers could see under the water, and dancers could spin and leap without worrying. I gave people the freedom to move and see the world in a whole new way. I wasn't just a helper. I was a friend that let them be active and free. Over the years, I've changed even more. Now I come in all sorts of types. Some of my cousins can even change the color of someone's eyes, just for fun. My job is still the best job in the world. Every single day, I get to help millions of people see faces, read books, and watch beautiful sunsets. I am a tiny piece of an idea that grew and grew, and I love being a little window to all the beautiful things in the world.