ophthalmic surgeon in London, England. During WWII Dr. Ridley
had experience in treating British fliers who had sustained injuries
when fragments of cockpit canopies penetrated their eyes. These canopies
were made from a plastic called polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Dr. Ridley
had observed this plastic appeared to be inert when it lied within the
eye. 
Over the course of the next several years he performed cataract surgery
and implanted about 1000 similar IOL's. Dr. Ridley's development was
met with skepticism and scorn. A hugh backlash against Dr. Ridley's invention
and procedure by many of his peers occurred and resulted in the slow
adoption and further development until the mid-1970's. Since its inception,
the IOL has benefited well over 100 million cataract patients worldwide.
Surgeons implant more than 8 million IOL's each year. Dr. Harold Ridley
was finally recognized for his contribution to humanity and was Knighted
in London by Queen Elizabeth II on February 9, 2000 one year prior to
his death. With current cataract surgery techniques and IOL's we are
able to restore a patients vision and at the same time reduce or eliminate
the need for glasses because of what Dr. Ridley started. Cataract Surgery in Ancient Times
Cataracts are a problem the have interfered with humans since the beginning of recorded history. Ancient cataract surgical instruments have been uncovered in Egyptian tombs. Cataract operations are among the oldest recorded surgical procedures; there are references to cataract surgery in the Code of Hammurabi in 1750 B.C. In the ancient world, lenses damaged by cataracts were dislocated rather than removed from the eye. The surgeon used a lance to push the clouded lens backward into the vitreous body of the eye. This operation, known as couching, was standard practice until the mid-eighteenth century.
