INVENTORS HALL OF FAME
Wichterie
Patent No. 3,220,960 Cross-Linked Hydrophillic Polymers and Articles Made Therefrom
Born in Prostejov in the Czech Republic, Otto Wichterie earned his Ph.D from the institute of Chemical Technology in Prague (ICT). He worked as a professor at ICT in the 1950s, creating a material suitable for eye implants known as hydroxy ethyl methacrylate, or HEMA, a polymer gel that absorbed water and was transparent.
Working at his kitchen table, using an old phonograph and an Erector set, Wichterie invented the soft contact lens and the process to manufacture it. In addition to being more comfortable than traditional glass or hard plastic lenses, Wichterie's lenses were less expensive, required a shorter adjustment period, and could be worn for longer periods of time.
Forced to leave ICT in a political purge, Wichterie continued his work on hydrogels at home with his wife, a doctor. In 1961, using his homemade device, he developed a spin-casting process that used centrifugal force to forge HEMA into soft, pliable lenses. Wichterie and his wife produced 5,500 lenses within five months. He made little money from his invention because the Czech government owned the rights to his process. The government later sold those rights to an American optometrist for $330,000.
In 1966, Bausch and Lomb purchased the rights for $3 million. Today, more than 100 million people improve their vision with contact lenses.
Otto Wichterie died on August 8, 1998.
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