Harold Ridley and the invention of the lens implant

During the Second World War, RAF pilots arrived with fragments of shattered cockpit canopy embedded in their eyes. Harold Ridley, working in London, observed that the acrylic material sat inert in the eye without provoking rejection.

The first implant

In 1949 at St Thomas' Hospital, Ridley implanted an artificial lens made from the same material after cataract removal. The idea was ridiculed by much of the profession.

Decades of resistance

Early designs caused complications, and opposition was fierce. Refinement of materials, design and surgical technique took thirty years.

Vindication

Ridley was eventually knighted. The intraocular lens is now implanted many millions of times a year worldwide and is among the most successful medical devices ever made.

The British thread

That lineage continues in UK training today: consultant ophthalmic surgeons here are trained in a system built on the careful, evidence-led refinement Ridley's invention demanded.

What this means if you are considering surgery in the UK

New technology only helps when it is matched to the right eye. Ms Tahmina Pearsall FRCOphth is a UK consultant ophthalmic surgeon on the GMC specialist register with more than 40,000 eye procedures performed, and she assesses every patient personally before recommending anything. If lens implant surgery is relevant to you, a consultation will tell you whether it changes your options — or whether a simpler, better-established treatment gives you a safer result.

Book a consultation with Ms Pearsall

Consultations are available at clinics across the UK, including London Harley Street, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Reading and Southampton. You can book a consultation, arrange a free 15-minute call, see treatment prices, read verified patient reviews or find your nearest clinic.