Putting in and taking out contact lenses feels awkward at first, but most people get comfortable with it within a week or two of practice. The key is clean hands, a well-lit mirror, and a consistent routine. Here’s exactly how to do both, plus how to handle common problems like a lens that won’t stay put or gets lost under your eyelid.
Start With Clean, Dry Hands
Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before touching your lenses. Almost any soap works as long as you rinse it off completely. Some guides recommend avoiding soaps with added moisturizers because they can leave a film on your fingers, but thorough rinsing takes care of most residue. Dry your hands with a lint-free towel or a fresh paper towel. Tiny fibers from a cloth towel can stick to your fingers and transfer to the lens, causing irritation once it’s on your eye.
Check That the Lens Isn’t Inside Out
A contact lens that’s inside out will feel uncomfortable and may not stay centered on your eye. Before you insert it, place the lens on the tip of your dry index finger with the edges pointing up. If it forms a smooth U-shape with the edges curving straight upward, it’s correct. If the edges flare outward like a shallow saucer, it’s inside out.
You can also try the taco test: gently pinch the lens between your thumb and forefinger near the middle, as if folding it into a taco. If the edges curl inward smoothly, you’re good. If they flare outward, flip the lens.
Many lenses also have tiny laser-etched numbers (like “123”) near the edge. Hold the lens up to a bright light and look for them. If the numbers read normally, the lens is right-side out. If they’re reversed, flip it.
How to Insert a Contact Lens
Place the lens on the tip of your dominant index finger. Make sure the lens is sitting in a little bowl shape and your fingertip is dry enough that the lens doesn’t slide around.
Using your non-dominant hand, reach over the top of your head and pull your upper eyelid up with one finger. With the middle or ring finger of your dominant hand (the one not holding the lens), pull your lower eyelid down. This gives you a wide opening and keeps you from blinking at the wrong moment. Look straight ahead into the mirror, or slightly upward, and gently place the lens directly onto your eye.
Once the lens makes contact, slowly release your lower eyelid first, then your upper eyelid. Look down gently to help the lens settle into place, then blink a few times. If the lens feels off-center, close your eye and look around slowly to guide it back over your pupil. Repeat the process with your other eye.
If you’re struggling because your eye keeps closing involuntarily, try looking slightly above the mirror instead of directly at the lens coming toward you. This reduces the reflex. With practice, the whole process takes about 10 seconds per eye.
How to Remove a Contact Lens
There are two reliable methods for soft lenses. Most people prefer the pinch method.
The Pinch Method
Look upward. Use your middle finger to gently pull down your lower eyelid. Place your index finger on the lower edge of the lens and slide it down onto the white part of your eye. With your other hand, hold your upper eyelid open to prevent blinking. Once the lens is on the white of your eye, pinch it lightly between your thumb and index finger and lift it away in one smooth motion.
The Slide Method
Look to one side. Place your index finger on the outer edge of the lens and slide it toward the corner of your eye. As the lens moves off center, close your eyelids gently and let the lens fold on itself. Open your lids slightly, catch the folded lens with your fingers, and drop it into your case.
Whichever method you use, always use the soft pads of your fingertips, never your nails. Keeping your nails trimmed short makes a real difference. Never force a lens off your eye, and never use tweezers or any tool to grab it.
What to Do With a Stuck or Lost Lens
A contact lens can’t actually travel behind your eye. A membrane lines the back of your eyelids and connects to your eyeball, creating a sealed pocket. But a lens can slide up under your upper eyelid or off to the side, which feels alarming.
If this happens, start by putting a few drops of artificial tears in your eye to add moisture and loosen the lens. Then gently close your eye and massage the eyelid in small circles to coax the lens toward the center. You can also try carefully flipping your upper eyelid inside out to check if the lens is stuck to the underside of the lid.
If the lens is dried out and truly stuck, keep applying artificial tears and blinking. Don’t force it. And never insert a second lens while looking for the first one, as this can scratch your cornea. If you can’t retrieve the lens after a few minutes of gentle effort, call your eye doctor.
Cleaning and Storing Your Lenses
If you wear daily disposable lenses, toss them after each use. For reusable lenses, proper cleaning matters more than most people realize.
Multipurpose solution is the most common option. It cleans, disinfects, rinses, and stores your lenses all in one step. Fill your case with fresh solution every time you store your lenses. Never top off old solution with new, because the disinfecting power weakens once the solution has been sitting.
Hydrogen peroxide-based systems clean and disinfect more aggressively and come with a special case that neutralizes the peroxide over several hours, converting it to saline. If you use one of these, never skip the neutralization step or put the lens in your eye while it still has peroxide on it. That will cause immediate, intense stinging.
Saline solution, on its own, does not disinfect. It’s only for rinsing lenses after they’ve already been cleaned and disinfected with another system.
Replace your lens storage case every three months. Over time, microscopic cracks develop in the plastic and harbor bacterial colonies called biofilms that even multipurpose solution can’t eliminate. If you swim regularly, live in a humid climate, or store your case in the bathroom, replace it every one to two months.
Keep Water Away From Your Lenses
This is one of the most important and least-known rules of contact lens care: never expose your lenses to water of any kind. That includes tap water, swimming pools, hot tubs, lakes, and showers.
Tap water and recreational water are disinfected enough to drink or swim in, but they are not sterile. They contain bacteria, fungi, and amoebas that can colonize a contact lens and cause serious eye infections. Nearly 85% of Acanthamoeba keratitis cases, one of the most damaging types of corneal infection, occur in contact lens wearers. The primary risk factor is water exposure. Even showering in contacts has been identified as a risk factor for corneal infections and inflammatory problems.
If you swim, wear watertight goggles over your contacts or use daily disposables that you throw away immediately after getting out of the water. Never rinse your lenses or case with tap water.
Makeup and Contact Lenses
Put your lenses in before applying any eye makeup. This prevents powder, pigment, or cream from getting trapped between the lens and your eye. At the end of the day, reverse the order: remove your lenses first, then take off your makeup with an oil-free remover. Oil-based removers can leave a film on lenses that’s difficult to clean off.
Signs of a Problem
Remove your lenses immediately if you notice eye pain, redness, blurred vision, sensitivity to light, excessive tearing, or unusual discharge. These are symptoms of bacterial keratitis, a corneal infection that can cause permanent vision damage if left untreated. Don’t put your lenses back in until you’ve spoken with your eye doctor, even if the symptoms seem to improve on their own.