by late 1961 produced the first four hydrogel contact lenses on a home-made apparatus built from children's building kit (merkur). all the glass tubing was also made by himself. on christmas afternoon he finally made a contact lens in his apparatus. he tried the lenses in his own eyes. he said that they were comfortable. he built more new prototype machines using merkur toys  with stronger motor taken from his gramophone. with these devices he made 5,500 lenses.