Ribbon cutting for the grand opening of the museum on June 30, 2019. (L to R)  Museum BOD: Craig W. Norman, FCLSA; Patrick J. Caroline, FAAO; Jiah Pack; Dr. Donald Ezekiel; Roy Wesley, OD, PhD.
FOREST GROVE, Ore.—On July 30, 2019, The Contact Lens Museum was officially opened to the general public. The museum was founded by Patrick J. Caroline, FAAO, Jiah Pack and Craig Norman, FCLSA, who are all collectors of contact lens artifacts, instruments and publications. The museum, which houses more than 2,000 historical items documenting the history of contact lenses over the past 100-plus years, is free to the public and located in Forest Grove, Oregon. The goal of the museum is to preserve, protect and educate ECPs, researchers, historians and the public about the history of contact lenses, and features a chronological series of the evolution of contact lenses.

Patrick J. Caroline, FAAO, said, “Jiah, Craig and I are delighted to announce an opening date, and we are already looking forward to welcoming eyecare practitioners and the public to the museum. We’re really excited to share these treasures with all who have an interest. We were fortunate to have the dream of the museum kick-started by the donation of items from the personal collection of Dr. Don Ezekiel from Perth, Australia and the Dr. Newton K. Wesley Foundation which we feature at the facility.”

There are plans for the museum to travel to at least four contact lens meetings and education institutions in 2020. In addition, the collection is showcased online, at TheContactLensMuseum.org.

The Contact Lens Museum is located at 2309 Pacific Ave, Forest Grove, OR 97116. It is open from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday by appointment only.