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Czech chemist Otto Wichterle changed the daily lives of more than 100 million people around the world when he invented soft contact lens. At Christmas 1961, he assembled the first prototype of a centrifugal casting device with which he made his first four lenses which didn’t irritate the eye. But after the crushing of the Prague Spring in which he took part, this dissident remained under permanent surveillance. During these years the State sold his patents to the United States, keeping Wichterle out of all negotiations. He died on August 18, 1998: in its obit, the Washington Post wrote that his invention of soft contact lens today was worth several billion dollars on the international market.

France / Czech Republic - 2005 - 52 mn - DV - Colour

Director Tomas Kudrna Camera Martin Sácha Sound Roman Capek, Jirí Vrána, Florence Levasseur Editing Claude Santiago Music Jan P. Muchow Narrator Bernard Corteggiani, Frédéric Biamonti

Production ADR Productions, 2, rue de la Roquette, 75011 Paris, France Tél : +33 (0)1 4314 3434 Fax : +33 (0)1 4314 3430 E-mail : adr@adr-productions.fr Co-Production ARTE France, Armada Films

Sales ADR Productions, 2, rue de la Roquette, 75011 Paris, France Tél : +33 (0)1 4314 3434 Fax : +33 (0)1 4314 3430 E-mail : adr@adr-productions.fr