Andrew Gasson followed a proud family tradition when he qualified as an optometrist in 1965, becoming the third generation in his family to enter the profession. With a keen interest in contact lenses, he opened a consulting practice in 1973 at 51 Queen Anne Street, just off the renowned Harley Street. His expertise soon attracted the attention of major manufacturers, and he served as a consultant to Bausch and Lomb and Wohlk, contributing to several pioneering clinical trials on early soft contact lenses.

A respected name in the field, Andrew became known both as a leading contact lens specialist and a published author. He was elected president of the Contact Lens Society in 1975 and went on to serve for several years on the council of the British Contact Lens Association, which succeeded it. In 1984, he moved his practice to 6 De Walden Street, where the business flourished. He expanded further by taking on the patient bases of two highly regarded contact lens pioneers: C. Davis Keeler in 1985 and Anne Silk in 1992.

In 1998, Andrew was appointed Chairman of the British Orthokeratology Society and later served as Vice-chairman of the Ophthalmic Ethics Committee (London) from 2003 to 2004. After a distinguished career spanning six decades, he merged his practice with Zacks Eye Clinic at the end of 2023 and officially retired in 2024.

Anne Silk Contact Lenses (est 1977)
Dr Anne Silk, trailblazer and the first female Master of the Worshipful Company of Spectacle Makers, earned recognition for challenging conventions in what was once a male-dominated profession. Rising swiftly through the ranks as a dispensing optician, she made history as the first woman to serve as President of the Association of Dispensing Opticians from 1971 to 1974. Later, she turned her attention to contact lenses, establishing a respected international consultancy on Wimpole Street in the late 1970s.

Following her retirement from clinical practice in 1992, Anne embarked on a second, equally remarkable career in neuroscience. Her groundbreaking research and published work advanced understanding of how radiation and magnetic fields influence brain function, and explored the connections between environmental factors and neurodegenerative conditions.

Anne took great pride in being elected a Fellow of both the Royal Society of Medicine and the Royal Society of Arts. In 2014, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Science by Bournemouth University in recognition of her substantial contributions to the profession. Her involvement extended to sitting on the General Optical Council, actively participating in the Institute of Physics and the US Bioelectromagnetics Society, and serving on national committees focused on brain health. As a member of the Department of Health’s SAGE II Science Forum, she was later co-opted onto the UK’s Health Protection Agency. Even into her late eighties, Anne remained a passionate advocate for academic research and a source of inspiration to many.

C Davis Keeler (est 1917)
Charles Henry Keeler was a distinguished inventor who succeeded his father, Charles Davis Keeler, in running the family practice originally established at 47 Wigmore Street in 1917. Fascinated by the emerging field of contact lenses, he founded a dedicated laboratory in 1937 to manufacture and fit glass lenses—an innovative step at the time. During the Second World War, his expertise led to his appointment by the Air Ministry, where he fitted protective contact lenses for pilots and burn victims.

In 1946, Charles became the first treasurer of the newly established Contact Lens Society, later serving as its president from 1953 to 1954. Following this, he returned to his earlier passion—ophthalmic instruments—and went on to secure numerous patents for his inventive designs. His contributions were formally recognised in 1969 when he was awarded an OBE for his services to the partially sighted. In 1977, his lifelong dedication to the profession was honoured with an honorary life membership of the Contact Lens Society.