Otto Wichterle: The inventor of contact lens whom Google is paying tribute to
Today, an interesting doodle has been presented on Google’s homepage. The doodle features a man with a single contact lens on his index fingertip while the alphabet ‘o’ in Google is designed as an eye- a representation of eyesight. This was Google’s way of paying tribute to and appreciating the contribution of Czech chemist, Otto Wichterle on his 108th birth anniversary. Read on to know more about Otto Wichterle, and why Google paid a tribute to him.
Who was Otto Wichterle?
Otto Wichterle was a Czech chemist known and celebrated for his greatest contribution- the contact lens. Born in Prostejov, Czech Republic in 1913, Wichterle was highly interested in science ever since he was a child. Now, he is deemed as the inventor of the soft contact lens which have helped people see clearly without the help of spectacles. He also invented a vast number of other patents.
Education
Wichterle pursued his scientific academic interests, he studied organic chemistry from the Prague Institute of Chemical technology where he earned a doctorate. After completing his education, Wichterle took up teaching and was a professor at the same institute in the 1950s.
Invention of contact lens
Due to certain political reasons, Wichterle was not allowed to continue his job as a professor at his alma mater. However, he independently continued working on developing a gel for eye implants which was both absorbent and transparent. He was successful in producing the first ever pair of soft contact lenses in the year 1961. A wearer of spectacles himself, Wichterle made these lenses with a DIY apparatus. This included a child’s erector set, a bicycle light battery, a phonograph motor and homemade glass tubing and moulds. Today, it is estimated that this ground-breaking invention of his is worn by 140 million individuals around the world.
Other achievements
Although widely known specifically for his contact lens invention, this prolific chemist also made other noteworthy contributions to science. He paved the way for state-of-the-art, contemporary medical technologies namely, “smart” biomaterials. These are employed in order to restore human connective tissues. He also contributed immensely towards bio-recognisable polymers which led on to establish a new standard for drug administration.
Wichterle dedicated his life to science and was a lifelong researcher. After the Czech Republic was established as a country, in 1993, he was elected as the very first President of the Academy of the Czech Republic.
The world recognises Otto Wichterle’s contributions today, and wishes him like Google wrote, “Happy birthday, Otto Wichterle- thanks for helping the world see eye to eye!”