The daily disposable contact lens
Witness History13 Aug 2019

The daily disposable contact lens

The contact lens was once a precious and expensive piece of eyewear which had to be looked after and carefully cleaned every night. But that all changed in the 1990s. Ron Hamilton was involved in developing lenses and packaging which could be made so cheaply they could be worn just once and then thrown away. He has been speaking to Ashley Byrne.

Photo: Ron Hamilton (l) with his business partner Bill Seden (r) and their wives with their original contact lens machine. Courtesy of Ron Hamilton.

Episoder(2000)

The Frauenkirche - Dresden's symbol of war and reconstruction

The Frauenkirche - Dresden's symbol of war and reconstruction

In 2005 Dresden’s Lutheran church, the Frauenkirche, opened its doors to the public for the first time in 60 years. The Frauenkirche in the East German city of Dresden was destroyed in 1945 by British...

14 Mar 20229min

The Wages for Housework campaign

The Wages for Housework campaign

They called it "The only work you never retire from, the only work you never get paid for" and in 1972 the Italian Marxist Feminist group Lotta Feminista tried to change that. Inspired by the work of ...

11 Mar 202211min

Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi

Iranian Nobel laureate Shirin Ebadi

In 2003, human rights lawyer Shirin Ebadi became the first Iranian and the first Muslim woman to be awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. Six years later, she was forced into exile from Iran. Dr Ebadi has be...

10 Mar 20229min

The Australian women who protested against the Vietnam war

The Australian women who protested against the Vietnam war

Five Australian women made front-page news when they were sent to Melbourne's Fairlea Prison for protesting against the Vietnam War in 1971. The women were part of the Save Our Sons movement, which c...

9 Mar 20229min

Russia's war in Georgia in 2008

Russia's war in Georgia in 2008

In August 2008, Russia went to war with another former Soviet republic, Georgia. The conflict began after Georgia attempted to recapture the breakaway region of South Ossetia, which had fought a separ...

4 Mar 20229min

The takeover of NTV in Russia

The takeover of NTV in Russia

NTV, the only nationwide independent TV channel in Russia, was taken over in April 2001. It lost its independence despite a vigorous protest campaign mounted by its staff. In 2017, Dina Newman spoke t...

3 Mar 20229min

Boris Yeltsin's surprise resignation

Boris Yeltsin's surprise resignation

On New Year's Eve 1999 the Russian President went on TV and announced he was leaving office. Tired and emotional, he apologised to the people for the state of the country. Boris Yeltsin's departure pa...

2 Mar 20229min

Putin's war in Chechnya

Putin's war in Chechnya

When Vladimir Putin was appointed prime minister in August 1999, he was a political unknown. He quickly made his name by ordering Russian Federation forces to re-take control of the breakaway republic...

1 Mar 202210min

Populært innen Samfunn

rss-spartsklubben
alt-fortalt
giver-og-gjengen-vg
aftenpodden
aftenpodden-usa
konspirasjonspodden
rss-nesten-hele-uka-med-lepperod
popradet
rss-henlagt-andy-larsgaard
grenselos
wolfgang-wee-uncut
lydartikler-fra-aftenposten
synnve-og-vanessa
fladseth
frokostshowet-pa-p5
rss-dannet-uten-piano
min-barneoppdragelse
rss-dette-ma-aldri-skje-igjen
relasjonspodden-med-dora-thorhallsdottir-kjersti-idem
den-politiske-situasjonen