Tips for New Contact Lens Users

Adjusting to contact lenses can be a challenge. Sometimes it is difficult to get them to go in correctly. Once they are in, it can be hard to take them back out. They look exactly the same, so it is easy to confuse the lenses and put the left lens on the right eye, or vice versa. Contact lenses will soon become second nature, however, with daily practice and a few simple tips.

Putting Lenses In

• According to the Best Eyeglasses website, it should only take a few seconds to insert a contact lens rather than a frustrating hour for each eye. The website recommends first washing hands and drying them with a lint free towel before handling lenses. Next, fish the contact lens from the solution and place it on the middle index finger. Pull down the eyelid slightly and look up. Place the contact lens on the surface of the eye, look down, and blink several times to make sure that the lens is in place. Insert the other lens in the same manner.

Taking Lenses Out

• Sometimes getting the lens back out can be as unnerving as putting it in. Some types of contact lenses have specific handling instructions or recommend using a plunger for lens removal, but most of the time the process is fairly straightforward. Wash and dry hands thoroughly before handling contact lenses or touching the surface of the eye. The Best Eyeglasses website recommends using rewetting drops if the eyes feel dry. Pull down the lower lens and look up. With one finger, slide the contact lens down toward the white of the eye and pull it out using the forefinger and thumb, taking care not to scratch the surface of the eye.

Other Concerns

• Sometimes it is difficult to tell if a contact lens is inside out. The All About Vision website suggests placing the contact lens on the tip of one finger and holding it up in front of the eyes. If the edges of the lens flare out, it is inside out.

  To avoid mixing up the left and right lenses, choose a side to insert first and stick with it. The Best Eyeglasses website explains that if you always put your left lens in before the right, for instance, you're less likely to get mixed up and place the lens in the wrong eye.

Myths and Misconceptions

• Many new contact lens wearers have heard stories about how contact lenses can roll up under the eyelid and become lost somewhere in the recesses of the brain. This is a misconception. Sometimes if a person rubs their eyes too hard with their contacts in, the lens can roll up and wedge itself under the eyelid. This is uncomfortable, but hardly life-threatening. There is a protective membrane that attaches to your eyelid and prevents foreign materials from sliding behind the eye, according to Lens Tips.