logologo-optometry

Zeiss Contact Glasses

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Catalogue Number: 868
Zeiss Contact Glasses
Category: Book
Sub-Category: Product catalogue
Corporation: Carl Zeiss Jena
Year Of Publication/Manufacture: c 1938
Time Period: 1900 to 1939
Place Of Publication/Manufacture: Germany
Publisher/Manufacturer: Carl Zeiss Jena
Description Of Item: Two fold 6 page leaflet, A3 size when unfolded, describing the glass haptic contact lenses produced in the 1930s by Carl Zeiss. 9 figures. Text covers a description of the lenses, the advantages of contact lenses, testing sets, trial fits and optical correction. The last page is a tabular specification of the range of lenses available.
Historical Significance: Zeiss launched glass haptic lenses in 1911 and provided trial sets to practitioners, The lenses were afocal with scleral portions of varying widths and corneal radii. Special lenses with powers from -16.0 dioptres to + 12.0 dioptres were later added. Final powers were found by over refraction. It was soon found that these lenses were an ideal correction for keratoconus and corneal surgery. Ernst Goetz (1903-1979), the original owner of this leaflet, was a Melbourne optometrist who was trained at the Optiker school in Jena, the home town of Zeiss. He migrated to Australia and practised in the practice of Alfred Nott in Collins Street, Melbourne. He fitted Zeiss contact lenses in the 1930s often to patients referred to him by ophthalmologists. This item came from papers preserved by his family. He was probably the first Australian optometrist to fit contact lenses. See his profile on this web site under the tab 'People who made history'
How Acquired: Donated by Wolf Gartner, member of the College, who was given it by the family of Ernst Goetz
Date Acquired: 21 July 2008
Condition: Good but the last page has a tear
Location: Archive office. Pamphlet and ephemera filing cabinet. Drawer 1

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