A rare and fascinating antique hard contact lens fitting set from around 1960, made by Danker and Wolek — a complete trial lens set used to fit patients with PMMA (polymethylmethacrylate) hard contact lenses. This set retains 29 of its original 30 trial lenses, presented in their original fitted case, and represents a pivotal chapter in the history of contact lens technology.
The lid of the case is inscribed “R.G. Small, M.D.” — identified via Google as an ophthalmologist based in Oklahoma City. In 2014, at the time of research, he was 87 years old, placing him squarely within the generation of eye care practitioners who witnessed and participated in the extraordinary rise of contact lens fitting during the mid-20th century.
PMMA hard contact lenses dominated the contact lens market throughout the 1960s and into the 1970s. They required exceptional patience from both patient and fitter — the lenses had to allow oxygen-laden tears to circulate beneath them while remaining precisely centered on the cornea to achieve good corrected vision. The fitting process was a painstaking art, and a complete trial set such as this was an essential and expensive piece of clinical equipment. By the late 1970s and early 1980s PMMA lenses were largely superseded by rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses and soft lenses, both of which allowed oxygen to pass through the lens material itself.
A superb and historically complete artifact of mid-century ophthalmic practice, with a compelling personal provenance.
History of contact lenses part 1
History of contact lenses part 2
