The first travel grant, established in the name of Kyoichi Tanaka, the pioneering founder of Japan’s contact lens industry, has been awarded to Mengliang Wu from the University of Melbourne, Australia.
Mr Tanaka, who passed away on 10 March 2024 at the age of 92, was a driving force behind the development of modern rigid gas permeable (RGP) contact lenses and materials research.
Born on 8 July 1931 in Kisogawa-cho, Aichi, Japan, Mr Tanaka emerged from humble beginnings during a period of significant hardship for the country. As the second son in a family of nine children, he was raised with values of education, hard work, and resilience – qualities that would define his future endeavours.
Mr Tanaka’s journey in the optical industry began in 1946 when he started working at Tamamizuya, a renowned optician store in Nagoya specialising in luxury goods and spectacles. It was here that his passion for eyewear design first emerged, as he excelled in creating unique and attractive frames that drew customers to the store.
Under Mr Tanaka’s leadership, Menicon achieved numerous breakthroughs in contact lens technology.
A chance encounter with an American army officer’s wife in 1950 sparked Mr Tanaka’s fascination with contact lenses. Intrigued by this novel concept, he set out to produce his own lenses using an old turning lathe and perspex material. His determination led to the creation of Japan’s first corneal lens; until then, the only lenses in Japan were full scleral lenses, in vivo moulded by ophthalmologists.
This marked the beginning of Mr Tanaka’s lifelong dedication to contact lens innovation.
In 1952, Mr Tanaka established the Nippon Contact Lens Research Institute, operating from his family home. As the business expanded, he founded Nippon Contact Lens Co Ltd in 1957, setting up a formal factory to accommodate growing demand. This venture laid the groundwork for what would eventually become Menicon Co. Ltd., established in 1987 to unify and strengthen manufacturing and sales operations.
Under Mr Tanaka’s leadership, Menicon achieved numerous breakthroughs in contact lens technology. Notable innovations included ‘Menicon soft’, a Hema material lens, and ‘Menicon O2’, Japan’s first oxygen-permeable RGP lens material launched in 1979. These developments paved the way for the creation of Menicon Z, widely regarded as the gold standard in RGP materials.
Mr Tanaka served as President of Menicon until 2000, when he passed the role to his son, Dr Hidenari Tanaka, an esteemed ophthalmologist. Kyoichi Tanaka then assumed the position of Chairman and later Honorary Chairman, a role he held until his passing.
Even in his later years, Mr Tanaka remained actively engaged in research, collaborating with Menicon researchers both in Japan and across international subsidiaries.
ISCLR Kyoichi Tanaka Travel Fellowship
In honour of Kyoychi Tanaka’s life-long dedication to research and the pursuit of new knowledge, Menicon and the International Society for Contact Lens Research (ISCLR) created a travel fellowship to support approved applicants being able to attend future ISCLR meetings. The applicant must be nominated by an existing ISCLR member and then vetted for eligibility and merit by an ISCLR selection panel. The winning candidate has their travel costs supported by the fellowship. To find out more about the grants visit: isclr.org/the-kyoichi-tanaka-travel-fellowship.
