Content

• To step
• Method 1 of 3: Removing soft contact lenses
• Method 2 of 3: Removing hard contact lenses
• Method 3 of 3: Good hygiene for your contact lenses
• Tips
• Warnings

For most contact lens wearers, it is sometimes difficult to remove a lens. This problem is especially common in people who have not been wearing them for very long. Contact lenses can get stuck because they become dried out from overuse or because they have slipped from their place. With these instructions, you can get a stubborn lens out of your eye, whether you're wearing soft or hard lenses.

To step

Method 1 of 3: Removing soft contact lenses

1. Wash your hands. You should always have clean hands when inserting or removing lenses. Your hands have thousands of bacteria from the things you touch every day, including faecal bacteria. To avoid infection, wash your hands with soap and warm water before touching your eyes.
   • With lenses that are stuck, it is even more important to wash your hands, as you will likely need to touch your eye longer. The longer your fingers come into contact with your eye, the greater the risk of contamination.
   • Do not dry the palm of your hand or your fingertips on a towel. Otherwise, you could get the fibers or tufts of the towel in your eye.
2. Stay calm. If you panic or are nervous about the situation, it will only make it more difficult to remove the lens.If you're nervous, take a few deep breaths before moving on.
   • Do not worry! Your contact lens cannot get stuck behind your eyeball. The conjunctiva (a mucous membrane on your eye) and the muscles around your eye (rectus muscles) make this impossible.
   • It is not a serious health risk if you have a soft contact lens stuck in your eye unless you leave it in for a long time. While it can be irritating, it is unlikely to damage your eye. However, a fixed lens can damage your cornea if it is broken, leading to infection.
   • If you have made several unsuccessful attempts to remove the lens, take a break. Sit down and relax.
3. Find where the lens is. In many cases, contact lenses can get stuck because they have shifted from the correct spot on the cornea. If this is the case with you, you need to feel where the lens is before you can remove it. Close your eyes and relax your eyelids. You should be able to feel where the lens is. If you don't feel it under your lid, gently touch your lid with your fingers and see where you feel it.
   • If the lens has shifted to the corner of your eye, you can spot it just by looking in the mirror.
   • Look in the opposite direction of the lens. For example, if you feel that your lens is in the right corner of your eye, look to the left. Or if you feel the lens stuck under your eye, look up. The lens may become visible.
   • If you can't feel or see your lens, it may have fallen out of your eye.
   • Place your finger at the top of your eyelid (close to your eyebrow) and pull it up to keep your eyelid open. This allows you to see the contact lens better. Keep in mind that if you look down while holding your eyelid up, the eye sphincter becomes paralyzed and you cannot squeeze it until you look up again.
4. Moisten the lens. Lenses can get stuck because they dry out. Wet the lens with saline solution. Apply the saline solution directly to the lens, if possible. Wait a few minutes for the lens to moisturize and soften.
   • If your lens is trapped under your eyelid or in the corner of your eye, the extra moisture may help drive it back to its proper place, where it is easier to remove.
   • You can often remove the lens in a normal way by moistening it. Blink several times or close your eyes for a few seconds, then try removing the lens again.
5. Massage your eyelid. If the lens is stuck or stuck under the eyelid, close your eyes and gently massage your eyelids with your fingertips.
   • If the lens is still out of place, try sliding it over the cornea.
   • If your lens is stuck under your eyelid, it can help to look down while massaging your eyelid.
6. Change your approach. If the lens is in the right place but still won't come out, try a different method to get your lens out. Most people squeeze their lenses out, but you can also remove them by gently pressing a finger on both lids while blinking.
   • You can use both your index and middle fingers on both hands. Push straight down with a finger on your upper lid. And push straight up with a finger on your lower lid.
   • The lens should slide off your eyeball and be easy to remove.
7. Lift your eyelid. If the lens is still attached and you think it got stuck under your eyelid, gently pull your eyelid away from your eyeball and turn it inside out.
   • To do this, use a cotton swab and press down on the center of your lid while pulling your lashes forward, away from your eye.
   • Tilt your head back. You should be able to see the contact lens if it is stuck under the eyelid. Gently remove it from under your eyelid.
   • You may need the help of a friend or family member to do this.
8. Go to the ophthalmologist. If nothing works, or if your eye becomes extremely red or irritated, see a local doctor, optician, or hospital. They can remove your lens without further damaging your eye.
   • If you think you have scratched or otherwise damaged your eye in an attempt to remove your lens, contact your eye doctor right away. You should consult a doctor about possible damage, whether you have successfully removed the lens or not.

Method 2 of 3: Removing hard contact lenses

1. Wash your hands. Clean your hands well with soap and water. Do not dry the fingers that you will be touching your eye with, so that you do not get tufts of dust in your eye. You should always have clean hands when inserting or removing your lenses.
   • Washing your hands properly is especially important when you need to touch your eye for a long time, such as when you want to remove a sticked-in lens.
2. Stay calm. A stuck lens is not an emergency and nerves will only make it more difficult to find and remove.
   • Your contact lens cannot get stuck behind your eyeball. The conjunctiva (a mucous membrane on your eye) and the muscles around your eye (rectus muscles) make this impossible.
   • It is not a serious health risk if you have a contact lens stuck in your eye unless you leave it in for a long time. While it can be irritating, it is unlikely to damage your eye. If the contact lens is broken, it can be painful.
3. Find where the lens is. In many cases, hard contact lenses can stick because they have shifted from their correct spot on the cornea. If this is the case with you, you will need to find out where the lens is before you can remove it.
   • Close your eyes and relax your eyelids. You should be able to feel where the lens is. If you don't feel it under your lid, gently touch your lid with your fingers and see where you feel it.
   • If the lens has shifted to the corner of your eye, you can spot it just by looking in the mirror.
   • Look in the opposite direction of the lens. For example, if you feel that your lens is in the right corner of your eye, look to the left. Or if you feel the lens stuck under your eye, look up. The lens may become visible.
   • If you can't feel or see your lens, it may have fallen out of your eye.
4. Break the vacuum. If the lens has shifted to the whites of your eyes, you can often get it loose by breaking the vacuum between your lens and your eyeball. To do this, use your fingertip to gently push your eye just outside the rim of the lens.
   • Massage your eyeball not as you would with soft contact lenses. This can cause the rim of the lens to damage the surface of your eye when it shifts.
5. Use a suction cup. If the lens gets stuck, buy a small suction cup available at most drug stores that will allow you to remove the lens. Ideally, your optician will have taught you this technique before prescribing the lenses for you.
   • First wash the suction cup with lens solution. Moisten the suction cup with some saline solution.
   • Use your thumb and index finger to keep your eyelids open.
   • Apply the suction cup to the center of the lens and pull it out. Be careful not to touch your eyeball with the suction cup.
   • The lens can be removed from the suction cup by gently sliding it to the side.
   • Consider consulting a medical professional before choosing this method. Using a suction cup to remove hard lenses yourself can cause trauma to your eye.
6. If necessary, see a doctor. If you cannot remove the lens, see your doctor, optician, or a hospital so they can remove the lens for you. You should also seek medical attention if your eye becomes very red or irritated.
   • If you think you have scratched or otherwise damaged your eye in an attempt to remove your lens, contact your eye doctor right away. You should consult a doctor about possible damage, even if you have removed the lens successfully or not.

Method 3 of 3: Good hygiene for your contact lenses

1. Avoid touching your eyes before washing your hands. Your hands have thousands of bacteria from the things you touch every day. Wash your hands well with soap and warm water before touching your eyes.
   • Touching your eyes with dirty fingers and hands can lead to an eye infection or scratching.
2. Keep your eyes moist. Use a few drops of eyeglass or eye drops to keep your eyes moist during the day. This prevents your lenses from getting stuck.
   • If you get itchy or your eyes turn red after using the drops, look for preservative-free drops.
3. Keep your lens case clean. Clean your lens case every day. After putting on your lenses, wash your case with a sterile solution or hot (preferably distilled) water and soap. Do not leave the container full with tap water. That can cause fungal and bacterial infections. Let the container air dry.
   • Replace your lens case every three months. Even when you clean it daily, bacteria and other dirty stuff will eventually get in.
4. Change the lens solution in your lens case every day. After you've cleaned your lens case and let it air dry, put in new, clean lens solution. The solution loses its power over time, so using fresh solution every day will keep your lenses disinfected and clean.
5. Follow the instructions to clean and disinfect your type of lens. Different types of lenses require different types of cleaning agents. Use the right kind of solution for your kind of lenses. Follow your eye care professional's advice on how to clean and disinfect your lenses.
   • To reduce the risk of infection, use only commercial liquids, eye drops, and cleaning agents.
6. Only wear your lenses as recommended by your eye care professional. Your eye specialist will tell you how long you can wear your lenses each day. Use your lenses according to this professional advice.
   • Do not sleep with lenses unless you have been prescribed lenses that you can keep in for an extra long time. However, even then, professionals do not recommend sleeping with these lenses on, as it increases the risk of eye infections.
7. Remove your lenses before coming into contact with water. If you are going to swim, take a bath or shower, or sit in a hot tub, remove your contact lenses first. This minimizes the risk of infection.
8. Stay hydrated. Your lenses can stick to your eyes when they dry out. One way to avoid this is to drink enough water during the day. Drinking enough will help keep your eyes moist.
   • The recommended daily amount for men is at least 3 liters. The recommended amount for women is at least 2.2 liters per day.
   • If you regularly have dry eyes, stay away from alcohol and excessive caffeine consumption if possible. These agents dry out your body. Water is best for you, but other good options include fruit juices, milk, and unsweetened decaf teas like Rooibos and herbal teas.
9. Stop smoking. Research has shown that smoking dries out your eyes worse. Dry eyes can cause your lenses to suck a vacuum. Smokers who wear contact lenses have more problems with their lenses than non-smokers.
   • Even secondhand smoke can cause problems for contact lens wearers.
10. Stay healthy. You can avoid eye problems by eating healthy, exercising, getting enough sleep and reducing sore eyes.
    • Leafy green vegetables, such as spinach, cabbage, kale, and other green vegetables are excellent for good eye health. Salmon, tuna, and other fatty fish with omega-3s can help prevent some eye problems.
    • Research has shown that people who exercise regularly have better overall eye health. They are also less likely to develop serious eye diseases such as glaucoma.
    • Not getting enough sleep can affect your vision. The most common side effect is dry eyes. You can also have eye cramps or spasms.
    • Help sore eyes when you can. You can do this by reducing the glare from electronics, setting up an ergonomically sound workplace and taking regular breaks during the work for which you use your eyes.
11. Have your eyes examined regularly. By going to the eye specialist regularly, you can prevent problems. Regular professional exams can also detect eye diseases such as glaucoma.
    • If you have existing eye problems or you are in your late 30's, you should see an eye doctor annually. Adults between the ages of 20-30 should have eye exams every two years.
12. Talk to your doctor about any concerns. If your lenses keep vacuuming your eyes, see an eye doctor. You may have a more serious problem. You can also ask your doctor about ways to prevent it.
    • Go straight away see a doctor if you have any of the following symptoms:
      • Sudden vision loss
      • Blurry sight
      • Flashes of light or "halos" (a bright light around objects)
      • Painful eyes, irritation, swelling, or redness

Tips

• It is always good to wet your eyes with a saline solution before attempting to remove a soft contact lens. After moistening, you need to air dry your fingers and take out your lens. This may provide enough friction so that you have a good grip on your lens.
• Many cities have online address books for ophthalmologists. For example, if you are in Rotterdam and need an ophthalmologist, you can use https://www.zorgkaartnederland.nl/oogarts.
• Don't put on your makeup until after putting on your lenses. Remove your lenses before removing your makeup. This prevents makeup from getting on your lenses.
• Close your eyelids firmly (press gently on your eyelid with a finger if necessary) and move your pupil (look around) counterclockwise for 3 minutes. After that, the lens has to come off its place where it was stuck and you can easily grab it.

Warnings

• Always keep your hands, lens cases, towels, and anything that comes into contact with your eyes or contact lenses. Otherwise, your eyes could get infected.
• Never use saliva to wet a contact lens. Human saliva is full of germs and when you put saliva on your lenses, you put all of that in your eyes.
• Check the instructions on your lens solution box before putting it in your eye. Basic saline solution is safe to use as a moisturizer for your lens, but some liquids contain a cleanser that will burn your eyes when you put it directly in your eye.
• Never wear party lenses or other lenses that you can buy without a prescription. These lenses can cause scratches, sores, infections and even permanent blindness.
• If your eye remains red and irritated after removing your lens, see an eye doctor for an examination. This could be a sign that you have scratched your cornea.