HYDROGEL (SOFT) LENSES



In the 1950’s Otto Wichterle and 
D. Lim of Czechoslovakia developed 
a hydrogel material and made contact 
lenses from it.  This material is hard 
in the dehydrated state but soft and 
flexible in the hydrated (wet) state.  
The lenses were made of 
hydroxyethylmethacrylate (HEMA).  
This material as well as numerous 
variations of it are used today.

These early lenses often did not give good vision and had some problems including causing corneal edema, deposits built up on the lenses and they were fragile.

Hydrogel lenses have been greatly refined and are now the majority of lenses fitted.