Keith Clifford Hall (born 29 March 1910, Cambridge - d. 16 December 1964, Bergen) was a British ophthalmic optician and pioneer of

contact lenses Contact lenses, or simply contacts, are thin lenses placed directly on the surface of the eyes. Contact lenses are ocular prosthetic devices used by over 150 million people worldwide, and they can be worn to correct vision or for cosmeti ...

Early life

Keith Clifford Hall was born on 29 March 1910 in Cambridge and educated in Surrey. He left school at 17 and became an optician's apprentice in Bracknell. He studied for the Fellowship in Optometry of the

Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers The Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers is one of the Livery Companies of the City of London, UK. The company was founded by a Royal Charter of Charles I in 1629 AD; it was granted the status of a Livery Company in 1809. The company was e ...

( FSMC) at night school, qualifying in 1931.

Career

Hall began fitting contact lenses in 1934. After World War II he became one of the world’s leading contact lens specialists, and set up the first UK specialist contact lens practice during 1945 at 139

Park Lane Park Lane is a dual carriageway road in the City of Westminster in Central London. It is part of the London Inner Ring Road and runs from Hyde Park Corner in the south to Marble Arch in the north. It separates Hyde Park to the west from ...

in London. With F. Dickinson, he wrote one of the first post-war text books on contact lens, “An Introduction to the Prescribing of Contact Lenses”(1946). Keith Clifford Hall was one of the first opticians in the world to specialise in contact lens practice. His technique used scleral fitting shells which were modified with wax prior to machining. He also worked with the original Touhy corneal lens. His practice expanded and he moved to larger rooms next door. His consulting rooms on the 6th floor of 140 Park Lane became a centre of excellence for many visiting specialists. He also lectured on contact lens practice around the world. A founder member of the Contact Lens Society, Keith Clifford Hall was President 1947-48 and 1963-64.

Death and legacy

Keith Clifford Hall died in Bergen on 16 December 1964. His work is commemorated by a collection of literature held for reference in the library of the

College of Optometrists The College of Optometrists is the professional, scientific and examining body for optometry in the United Kingdom, working for the public benefit. Their headquarters is at 41-42 Craven Street, London WC2, of which no 41 is a Grade II listed bu ...

He is also commemorated by a plaque at the site of his consulting rooms, 140 Park Lane.City of Westminster green plaques

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hall, Keith Clifford 1910 births 1964 deaths People from Cambridge British ophthalmologists Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers