993.131.1: Contact Lens Set, c. 1940

Additional Images

993.131.1: Contact Lens Set.
Image No. 2273 ; Photographer: Helen Kingsley

Object Description

Contact lens set consisting of a steel case containing two round lidded cardboard boxes each containing a 'scleral' hard contact lens laying on a bed of cotton wool and a rubber suction holder in a lidded plastic vial. The lids of the boxes have the name of the owner 'Walsh' and either 'L' or 'R' to denote the lens for each eye, also 'R' is scratched into the right eye lens. The case is engraved with the owners name 'A.C. WALSH'. Dimensions given are for closed case.

Object Classification

Accession Number: 993.131.1
Collection: Ophthalmology
Date: c. 1940

Object Dimensions

  • Length: 11.3 cm
  • Height: 2.3 cm
  • Width: 5.1 cm

Object Parts

  • a) Round box containing lens
  • b) Round box containing lens
  • c) Lidded vial containing rubber suction holder
  • d) Hinged lidded case

Object Materials

  • adhesive bandage,
  • aluminium,
  • cardboard,
  • cotton wool,
  • glass,
  • paper,
  • plastic,
  • rubber,
  • steel

Acquisition Detail

  • Owner: Dr. Arthur Cambell Walsh
  • History of Use: These lenses were shipped from Vienna and were supposedly the first pair in B.C.