Actually, I read of it being done in Europe by World War II.  I don&#x27;t know how much before that it existed.  But I think (without concrete data) that it was much less common before somewhere around 1950.<p>One thing about the early European replacement lenses is that they were transparent at least some way into the ultraviolet.  It turns out that the human retina can see a short distance into the ultraviolet, but the lens blocks it.  The replacement lens let the person see further into the ultraviolet than ordinary people.  The OSS used these people as guides on commando raids.  There would be a parachute drop of supplies, for example, and they&#x27;d put a UV beacon on it.  The commandos couldn&#x27;t see the beacon, and neither could the German soldiers.  Only the old person with cataracts (and surgery) who was guiding the commandos could see it.