Collection of scleral (haptic) contact lens shells and casts
 Catalogue Number: 2050 Collection of scleral (haptic) contact lens shells and casts Category: Spectacles and lenses Sub-Category: Contact lenses and accessories Practice/Business: STRACHAN John Phillip Frith Time Period: 1940 to 1999 Place Of Publication/Manufacture: Melbourne Description Of Item: (1) Five casts of moulds of eyes made for the purpose of manufacturing scleral (haptic) contact lenses each with patient names on back (2) collection scleral (haptic) contact lenses made of PMMA in yellow packets on which lens specifications are written, (3) five scleral (haptic) contact lenses with painted irises two of which are painted for the purpose of a party joke, and (4) four artificial eyes. Scleral lenses and casts in gallery display. Historical Significance: John Strachan was a Melbourne optometrist who from the mid 1950s specialised in contact lenses at his practice in Collins Street, Melbourne and was one of the pioneers of contact lenses in Australia. He qualified in optometry at the Australian College of Optometry obtaining his LOSc diploma in 1949. He subsequently travelled to London where he completed his Fellowship of the British Optical Association with honours (FBOA HD) and also completed the course leading to the Certificate of Contact Lens Practice (CCLP). He fitted scleral contact lenses using the moulding technique and was among the first in Australia to do so. Earlier contact lens practitioners such as Melbourne optometrist Ernst Goetz used trial lens sets. He taught contact lenses in the Australian/Victorian College of Optometry from 1955 to 1974. How Acquired: Donated by John Strachan Date Acquired: 20 June 2012 Condition: Good Location: Archive room. West wall. Unit 6 Drawer 2 |