Drahoslav Lím
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Drahoslav Lím (died June 2003) was a Czech chemist. He invented polyhydroxyethylmethacrylate, the synthetic material used for contact lenses (hydrogel).
Lím worked in team of Otto Wichterle (the inventor of contact lenses) and in 1955 he came up with material later used for the lenses. During 1970 to 1974 he worked in Palo Alto, California, improving contact lenses materials and technology. When he returned to Czechoslovakia he was persecuted for political reasons and was not allowed to work in his specialisation. In 1979 he was allowed to emigrate to the United States. There Lím worked on materials for artificial kidneys and continued with research on polymers. He was awarded over 150 patents.
Although the academic community recognises the importance of his inventions, the Czech public almost never hears his name.
