Frank Dickinson: Contact Lens Innovator in St Annes

Frank Dickinson (1906–1978) was an optometrist, researcher, and writer, born in Blackpool, whose pioneering work in contact lens design and fitting earned him international recognition. In 1921 he began his professional training under his aunt, Maud Farnworth, who operated an optical practice in Lytham St Annes. At the age of nineteen he gained the Diploma of the British Optical Association from the College of Technology, Manchester, though professional regulations prevented him from practising until he reached twenty-one. In 1930 he established his own practice, moving two years later to 35 The Square, St Annes, where his modern premises and equipment drew notice in both the Lytham St Annes Review and optical trade journals.

By 1935 Dickinson had turned his attention to the emerging field of contact lenses, travelling to the United States in 1936 and again in 1939 to study developments in the discipline. During the latter visit he met K. Clifford Hall, with whom he co-authored the first British textbook on the subject, An Introduction to the Prescribing and Fitting of Contact Lenses (1946). During the Second World War he served as Senior Refractionist at the Royal Ordnance Factory in Chorley, continuing his research in optics alongside his wartime duties.

In the years following the war, Dickinson undertook visits to South Africa, where he introduced new contact lens techniques and supported the growth of optometric practice. In 1946 he became a founder member of the United Kingdom Contact Lens Society, and in 1952 helped to establish the International Society of Contact Lens Specialists, serving as its Founder-Secretary. Working with Dr Wilhelm P. Söhnges and Dr John C. Neil, he developed the micro-corneal lens, introduced in 1952, a significant advance in optical design that simplified fitting and broadened clinical use.

Dickinson’s influence extended across professional institutions. A member of the Council of the British Optical Association from 1947, he served as its President in 1961 and that same year became Founder Chairman of the Ophthalmic Group of the Royal Society of Health, later being made a Fellow in 1965. He lectured in optometry at the College of Technology, Manchester (later UMIST), and in 1965 became a Director of Dollond and Aitchison Ltd, where he chaired the Professional Standards Committee until his death.

His work earned numerous international honours. He became a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry in 1945 and received awards including the Herschel Gold Medal of the ISCLS (1957), the Research Medal of the British Optical Association (1960), and the Owen Aves Medal of the Yorkshire Optical Society (1962). Universities and professional bodies in Britain, Europe, and the United States recognised his contributions through honorary memberships, degrees, and research awards. In 1980 Dollond and Aitchison endowed the Frank Dickinson Tutorial Clinic at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in his memory.

Outside his professional life, Dickinson was an accomplished musician. He served as organist and choirmaster at Methodist churches in Fairhaven and Lytham and organised musical entertainments during the war. In 1932 he married Muriel Porter, a fellow musician, and together they performed locally, their shared love of music passing to their children, Peter and Meriel, both of whom pursued musical careers. Frank Dickinson continued his optical practice and research until his death in 1978, leaving behind a legacy of innovation that placed him among the foremost figures in twentieth-century British optometry.