A bit of CL (contact lens) history
 Catalogue Number: 3238 A bit of CL (contact lens) history Category: Papers Sub-Category: Letter, notes, memos Author: BAILEY Ian L Year Of Publication/Manufacture: 1970 and 2016 Time Period: 1940 to 1999 Place Of Publication/Manufacture: Berkeley, Calif, USA Description Of Item: (1) Print out of an email from Ian L Bailey dated Dec 20 2016 describing the discovery of contaminated soft contact lenses in the clinic of the Australian College of Optometry in 1970 and the events that followed. (2) Copy of the unpublished report of the event Historical Significance: The then new Bionite Naturalens, and early soft contact lens, came in to use in Australia in the late 1960s. It was not approved by the FDA for use in the USA. They were made and distributed in Australia by Penrhyn Thomas' Contact Lens Corporation. Ian Bailey, then Head of the College clinic, followed up some reports of eye infections associated with this contact lens and found them to be contaminated with nasty bacteria and fungi, including lenses in phials that had not been opened. These papers tell this story and include a report that was intended for publication but was never submitted because of legal risks. How Acquired: Donated by Ian Bailey, Honorary life member of the College Date Acquired: Dec 2016 Condition: Good Location: Archive office. Pamphlet and ephemera filing cabinet. Drawer 7 |