1940s contact lenses

We were visiting Kellee's old lady friend "aunt" Jayne, and she showed us her late husband Larry's old contact lenses, "the first contact lenses in St. Louis." His friend was an eye doctor and needed a testimonial patient for a trade show. Now, this was in the early 1940s. She said they had to pop the eye out of the socket to take a casting of the eyeball, and they made these glass corneal lenses from that. He only wore them a couple times, and she said his eyes were bugged out while they were in. That black thing is a suction cup for removing the lenses. Also, you can barely make out the etched on "L" and "R" on each lens. And I love the little case they're in.