Drahoslav Lím (1925 – 2003)
Drahoslav Lím was an important Czech chemist and scientist born on 30 September 1925 in what was then Czechoslovakia (now the Czech Republic). He studied at the University of Chemistry and Technology in Prague, where he obtained his doctorate in chemistry. After receiving this degree, he continued his academic career at the university with Otto Wichterle as his mentor.
Working together as a research team, they invented the first hydrogel plastic (pHEMA) that would later become the base material for the first soft contact lenses. Like his mentor, Lím’s politics did not find favour with the Czech communist government, and funding for his scientific experiments was generally refused. This led him to northern California, where he was able to continue his polymer research alongside Nobel Prize winner Paul Flory at Stanford University.
After a brief stay in the United States, Lím returned to Czechoslovakia, but faced many political obstacles that prevented him from working in the field of chemistry. He therefore applied for asylum in the United States, which was eventually granted in 1979. Lím returned to California, settling in San Diego, and began teaching at the University of California, San Diego.
He founded the Revlon Center for Materials Research and continued his work on bioplastics, filing and receiving patents right up until his death on 22 August 2003 in San Diego, United States.
Drahoslav Lím’s contributions to eye care
Drahoslav Lím’s expertise in chemistry and his work as part of Otto Wichterle’s research team allowed him to co-create a pioneering material called pHEMA — polyhydroxyethyl methacrylate. This discovery was a significant stepping stone in the development of the first contact lenses. Lím dedicated a large part of his career to improving optical problems through scientific advances, particularly contact lenses, by enhancing the biomaterials that make them more comfortable to wear.
Other notable achievements of Drahoslav Lím
Drahoslav Lím won numerous awards for his research throughout his career. He is particularly recognised for his studies in biomaterials and polymers, first published in the scientific journal Nature — where Lím and Wichterle shared their initial hydrogel technology results with the scientific community.
- Author of numerous publications
- Holder of more than 150 patents
- Created the plastics used in the construction of artificial kidneys
- Founder of the Revlon Center for Materials Research
Final thoughts
Although often overshadowed by his colleague Otto Wichterle when it comes to the creation of the first soft contact lenses, Drahoslav Lím’s work and research were instrumental in the pioneering field of biotechnology (pHEMA), which led to the invention of the first hydrogel contact lens.