A Ph.D polymer chemist, in the 1970s Gaylord was hired by optometrist Dr. Leonard Seidner to solve a problem: contact lenses blocked oxygen from reaching the wearer’s eyes. That often resulted in swelling, blurred vision, and sometimes even eye damage. Gaylord replaced the acrylic lens material with a new polymer, siloxane-methacrylate, which was both “gas permeable” and suitable for lenses.
The result was a new rigid contact lens that was more comfortable and could be worn all day without eye damage. Gaylord’s work proved “critical to the development of novel materials, and through them he became a pioneer at the beginning of a new field,” says polymer chemist Joseph C. Salamone, a former vice president of research for Bausch & Lomb.
Dr. Gaylord went on to found the Gaylord Research Institute, where he worked on developing other specialized materials, and taught chemistry at Drew University in New Jersey. He received the Founder’s Award from the American Academy of Optometry in 1985. Gaylord, who wore glasses, died September 18. He was 84.