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Invisible Vision: The hidden story of Dr. Newton K. Wesley, American contact lens pioneer

by Roy Wesley

A life behind the lens

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AlbakiReads Editorial

A life behind the lens

Roy Wesley’s biography traces Dr. Newton K. Wesley’s role in establishing the American contact lens industry, from training doctors and opticians in lens fitting to building a large manufacturing company. The account also places his career within the upheavals of his family history: born to Japanese immigrant parents, Wesley later lost his wife and children to wartime incarceration while he remained free. The book connects the development of an industry with a personal history shaped by migration, loss, and rebuilding a career.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Readers interested in the history of optometry and contact lenses.
  • Readers looking for biographies of entrepreneurs and industry pioneers.
  • Readers interested in Japanese American history and wartime incarceration.

Themes

Optometry and contact lens historyEntrepreneurshipJapanese American historyFamily separation and resilience

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

As recently as 1940, contact lenses did not exist for Americans. Invisible Vision is the hidden story of the man who brought them into existence, trained doctors and opticians to fit them, and developed the country's largest contact lens manufacturing company that started the industry. Despite these accomplishments, few people know his name or background. The surprising and inspiring life of Dr. Newton K. Wesley-born to Japanese immigrant parents who arrived at the turn of the 19th century, and eventually rising to create the US contact lens market-is a story of survival and flourishing against the odds.

 

Dr. Wesley gives hope to those starting life and businesses from nothing as someone who earned success in the face of loss: he was a US Citizen who lost everything in WWII, even his wife and two children who were incarcerated in Japanese American war camps, while he remained free to start a new life and career. His tale is one of perseverance with a big payoff.

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