by Joel Harrison
11. February 2011 13:14
Agustin De Rojas de la Portilla, the inventor of a type of extended wear contact lenses, has just died of a heart attack in Palm Beach County at the age of 65.
De Rojas’s life was a fascinating story. He came to the United States during the famous Pedro Pan Operation in 1961, when he was 15, along with over 14,000 Cuban children sent by their parents afraid of Fidel Castro’s regime. After some time spent at the Kendall camp, he attended St. Augistine school and then moved to Gorshen, New York to live with his parents, who had also managed to leave Cuba.
He studied at Columbia University and became a chemist for the optical industry. Then he decided to move to Palm Beach County and set up his own company, Quest Optical. The company holds several patents associated with contact lenses. In 2008, in recognition of his achievements in the area, De Rojas was inducted into the Optical Pioneers Hall of Fame.
De Rojas left his wife, Regina, three children and several grandchildren.
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