A tribute to the father of the soft contact lens: Prof Otto Wichterle скачать в хорошем качестве

A tribute to the father of the soft contact lens: Prof Otto Wichterle

In the late 50's/early 60's, Professor Otto Wichterle developed the first #hydrogel (a hydrophilic #polymer) suitable for contact lens use in Prague (Czechoslovakia). Therefore, the nickname of this Czech chemist is "the father of the soft contact lens" but he was in involved in many other projects, submitting an impressive number of patents (nearly 200) during his lifetime. The material chemistry of the soft contact lens has seen little change up till the 2000s, after which silicone hydrogel contact lenses were introduced. These lenses combine the biocompatibility, comfort and optics that Wichterle first imagined and achieved years ago, but now also include a significantly greater oxygen transmissibility. The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) is the world authority on chemical nomenclature and terminology, including the naming of new elements in the periodic table. Prof Otto Wichterle had an important role for IUPAC; he was asked to coordinate their interest in macromolecular science. His report led to the creation of a new Macromolecular Division (Division IV)in 1967, which is now called the Polymer Division. Marloes has been a member of the IUPAC Polymer Division since 2018 and worked on various projects including the Wikipedia project. In the near future, the IUPAC Polymer Education will also set up their own YouTube channel within the IUPAC YouTube channel. Special thanks go to Prof Paul Topham (Aston University) for the hydrogel video and images of contact lenses.