How to Remove a Stuck Contact Lens?

Before you panic, please read carefully that contact lenses can never get lost in your eyes. However, they may be dislodged or get stuck due to them being dried out. Contact lenses may turn dry because of several reasons for instance over-wearing them or unfavorable weather conditions. To remove a stuck contact lens, sanitize your hands first by washing with soap and water followed by rinsing your finger pads by multi-purpose contact lens solution.

Removing Stuck Contact Lens from Eyes

Sandra Michi 

• To remove a stuck contact lens from your eyes the first thing you should do after washing hands is to grab your re-wetting drops. The re-wetting drops lubricate eyes which may help to flush your contact lenses out. When tear chemistry is disturbed due to windy weather or smoke; the lubrication is compromised due to which tears’ formation is reduced. Tears help keeping lenses float over your cornea. Therefore, whenever you notice your eyes are feeling dry; simply instill few drops of contact lens compliant eye drops to keep eyes moist.
• After instilling eye drops, look in the opposite direction where you suspect your lens is. Close your eyes and gently massage eyelid over the area where it feels stuck. This should help loosen your lens and to return it back on the iris.
• Repeat these steps until the lens comes out loose. Please, do not panic because eye’s structure won’t let contact lenses get lost permanently. Stay persistent as it may take a duration of 15 minutes until the lens becomes re-hydrated and begins to move freely.
• As the lens gets back to its right position, take it out you normally would. It is recommended to wash your eyes later on with sterile saline solution or with your regular eye drops. If unfortunately after removing stuck lenses your eyes sting, become red or irritated; visit your eye doctor immediately. These signs are indicative of corneal abrasion.

Keep your nails neatly filed. You wouldn’t want to scratch your cornea or tear your lenses by your jagged edges of the nails whilst it still is in the eye.