It's possible that you're reading this article wearing a pair of disposable lenses that you'll chuck away before going to bed, but spare a thought for the poor pioneers of the contact lens in the 1940s. 

By then, the eyesight-fixing fixture had been on the market for about a decade, and was made from the thinnest and clearest material available at the time - glass. 

Yes, each lens was shaped from a durable form of glass that was then shaped to correct any visual impairment. But it's how they made a cast of the eye that was the most eye-watering looking part...

Well, it's not quite Un Chien Andalou, but we're glad we live in an age where we can just sizzle away imperfections with a laser...