Visiting The Contact Lens Museum in Forest Grove, OR

AdminWolf

Site Administrator & Tech Lead
Staff member
Feb 24, 2001
17,083
3,541
113
School/Org
University of Michigan Medical School
City
Lake Oswego
State
OR
Drs. Paul Farkas & Adam Farkas along with Gretchyn Bailey, Editor in Chief of Optometry Times visited the recently-opened Contact Lens Museum in Forest Grove, OR!



Curator Patrick Caroline gave us the story of how the museum came about, and then a big tour of the artifacts and the history of contact lenses (Paul of course had a bunch of stories about the stuff we saw… as well as his ingenius idea in the 1980s for using contraceptive sponges to clean contact lenses. Yes, really!)



Anyone who is interested in contact lenses and history should check out the video, and remember: if you have old contact lens related materials, the museum is always interested in donations! Visit their web site:




https://www.thecontactlensmuseum.org/



[Discuss the visit & the museum...


[url="https://www.odwire.org/visiting-contact-lens-museum-forest-grove/"]Continue reading...
 
Last edited:
BTW this video is almost 100% unedited for CEwire2020 - I just let the camera roll as we walked through, so if you're getting a real stream-of-consciousness sort of feel from it, that's why :) .
 
The film is lengthy but worth your time to get some optometric history back story.

Feel free to comment.

It certainly was a trip down memory lane for me.

To quote Mel Brooks as the "2000 Year Old Man"...

"Did you know Joan of Arc?"

His reply..."Know her...I went with her!".

So much of that contact lens history was part of my every day practice life.
 
I encourage all to watch..Simply great stuff
 
@Patrick J Caroline really is accepting all kinds of materials for the museum, so don't hesitate to send him a PM if you have anything you think he might want. Paul even sent him his old Columbia University Optometry diploma!
 
@Patrick J Caroline really is accepting all kinds of materials for the museum, so don't hesitate to send him a PM if you have anything you think he might want. Paul even sent him his old Columbia University Optometry diploma!

Not only my BS and MS from Columbia University but my OD from PCO 10 years later designed for us University optometry graduates who never received an OD.

Then there were the AAO plaques and Diplomate Award. Classic AOA membership from 1961. Am I the oldest AOA active member?

Many speaking venues handed out a plaque as well. I did not include my Kentucky Colonel plaque, like Colonel Sanders. I dragged that up to my condo and placing it up somewhere hidden, where only I can observe. I the recall whet happened when I put the executive director of the Kentucky Optometric association under hypnosis to help cure her bad memories of an attempted sexual assault.

Another story from another time.

In any event, my total life's work laminated, weighed only 34 pounds. Makes you think about your value, if you ever have an ego big enough to become a "legend in your own mind".
 
It's a WONDERFUL video! I just skimmed it but nice knowing it's there to come back to forever. Really great having Paul there. And Pat makes a perfect curator. -Charlie
 
It's a WONDERFUL video! I just skimmed it but nice knowing it's there to come back to forever. Really great having Paul there. And Pat makes a perfect curator. -Charlie
@AdminWolf, I guess you and I sucked....:D
 
It is open by appointment only. Contact @PatrickJCaroline to see if you can visit!
 
  • Like
Reactions: Peter Charron