What to Do When Your Contact Is Stuck in Your Eyelid

Dealing with contact lenses is a delicate task, requiring steady hands and accurate moves, especially in times of emergency. One of these occasions is when your lens is stuck under your eyelid. It can make you feel uncomfortable, blur your vision and even lead to a red eye. Not being able to see the position of the lens makes removal even more challenging, but not impossible.

Basic Hygiene Rules

• Even if the stuck lens is causing you anxiety and you feel you must act urgently, it is important that you do not skip basic hygiene rules. Wash your hands thoroughly before touching your eye, and choose a well-lit room with a mirror. If you rely only on your sense of touch, it is more likely you'll injure yourself. Get yourself set up for success before beginning your contact search and rescue.

Determining Position

• If you feel pain in a particular area when moving your eyes, the pain is usually a good indicator of the lost lens' location. If the pain is more general, you'll need to do a bit more to locate the lens. Gently push your eyelid skin using your index finger until you feel the contact. Check your cleaning solution's instructions to see if it's safe to apply the solution directly on the eye. Doing so will moisturize the dry lens and help it slip more easily.

Down, Hold, Up, Release

• Use the simple "down, hold, up, release" method to get the lens to come out of your eyelid. While keeping a straight chin, look as far down as possible. Press the position of the lens with your index finger, being careful not to push hard -- hard pushes can lead to injury of lens breakage. While keeping the lens pressed, look up. Release your finger and look down again. After every turn, the lens should move a bit further down, bringing it closer to the visible area of the eye.

Removing the Lens

• When you have managed to bring the lens into a position when you can see it, grab it with your thumb and index finger, and remove it -- slowly -- from your eye. Do not use your fingernails and be careful not to move too quickly.Once the lens has been successfully removed, flush your eye with water and contact solution to cleanse it, and to prevent further irritation.