A contact lens stuck in your eye is uncomfortable and sometimes alarming, but it’s not an emergency in most cases. The lens cannot slip behind your eye. A thin membrane called the conjunctiva lines your eyelids and folds back onto your eyeball, creating a sealed pocket with no opening to the back of your eye socket. The lens may slide off-center, fold up under your eyelid, or dry out and cling to your cornea, but it’s always retrievable.
Why Contact Lenses Get Stuck
The most common reason is dryness. When a soft lens loses moisture, it shrinks slightly and grips the surface of your eye. This happens more often if you fall asleep wearing lenses, spend long hours in air-conditioned rooms, or stare at screens without blinking enough. Sleeping in lenses that aren’t designed for overnight wear is a major cause: your cornea gets less oxygen while your eyes are closed, and the lens can essentially suction itself onto the surface.
Rubbing your eyes can also push a lens off-center, sliding it under your upper or lower eyelid where you can’t immediately see it. Lenses that are old, damaged, or the wrong fit are more likely to shift and stick.
How to Remove a Stuck Soft Lens
Start by washing your hands thoroughly with soap and water. This is the single most important step, since bacteria on your fingers are a direct route to eye infection. Then work through these steps:
- Rehydrate the lens. Apply several drops of sterile saline solution or contact lens rewetting drops to your eye. If you don’t have either, use artificial tears. Give the drops a minute to soak in. This loosens a dried-out lens and makes it far easier to move.
- Blink repeatedly. Close your eyes gently, then blink several times. The natural movement of your eyelids can shift the lens back to the center of your eye where you can reach it.
- Look in the opposite direction. If you can feel the lens under your upper eyelid, look downward. If it’s under the lower lid, look up. Then gently massage through the closed eyelid, nudging the lens toward the center of your eye.
- Pinch it off. Once the lens is centered over your iris, look up slightly and use your index finger and thumb to gently pinch the soft lens together and slide it off your eye. Soft lenses are flexible enough that this won’t damage them or your eye.
If the lens has folded in half under your lid, you may feel a sharp edge but not be able to see anything in the mirror. Keep adding drops and blinking. The folded lens will usually work its way to a corner of your eye where you can pull it out. Pulling down your lower lid and looking around in a mirror with good lighting helps you spot a translucent lens that’s hiding.
How to Remove a Stuck Rigid Lens
Rigid gas permeable (RGP) lenses require a different approach. Because they’re firm, you shouldn’t try to pinch them the way you would a soft lens. Start by putting in rewetting drops or saline to lubricate the space between the lens and your eye, especially if your eye feels dry. Attempting removal on a dry eye can cause the edge of the rigid lens to scrape your cornea.
If the lens is centered, place a fingertip on the outer corner of your eye, pull the skin slightly toward your ear, and blink firmly. The tension from your eyelids should pop the lens off. If it doesn’t, a small suction cup plunger designed for RGP lenses is the safest tool. These are inexpensive, available at most optical shops, and worth keeping on hand. Press the plunger gently onto the center of the lens, and it lifts right off.
If the rigid lens has slid off-center, don’t use the suction plunger on it while it’s sitting on the white of your eye. Instead, look in the opposite direction from where the lens is stuck, then gently massage through your closed eyelid to guide it back over your iris. Once it’s centered, use the plunger or blink method.
What Not to Use
Never rinse your eye with tap water to flush out a stuck lens. Tap water commonly contains a microorganism called Acanthamoeba that can stick to the surface of contact lenses and infect your cornea. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency warns that this infection causes severe eye pain, a white halo at the edge of the eye, and can last weeks to months without fully healing even with treatment. Stick to sterile saline, rewetting drops, or artificial tears. Homemade salt solutions are equally risky and should be avoided.
Avoid using tweezers, cotton swabs, or any pointed object near your eye. Don’t try to scrape the lens off with a fingernail. And resist the urge to rub aggressively. Firm rubbing can fold the lens, push it further under a lid, or scratch your cornea.
When a Stuck Lens Needs Medical Help
Most stuck lenses come out within a few minutes of adding drops and blinking. If you’ve spent 15 to 20 minutes trying and the lens still won’t budge, stop and call an eye care provider. Continuing to poke at your eye increases the risk of scratching your cornea.
After removing a stuck lens, some mild redness and a gritty feeling are normal for a few hours. But certain symptoms mean the lens may have caused a corneal abrasion or introduced an infection:
- Sharp, persistent pain that doesn’t fade after the lens is out
- Sensitivity to light that makes it hard to keep your eye open
- Blurred vision or a sudden decrease in how well you can see
- Discharge or fluid leaking from the eye
If any of these develop, see an eye care provider the same day. If your vision drops suddenly or you’re in extreme pain outside of office hours, go to urgent care or an emergency room. A minor corneal abrasion typically heals within 24 to 48 hours with proper care, but an untreated scratch can become infected.
Preventing It From Happening Again
The best prevention is keeping your lenses moist and clean. Replace them on the schedule your provider recommends, since older lenses dehydrate faster and lose their shape. Don’t sleep in lenses unless they’re specifically approved for overnight wear. Keep a small bottle of rewetting drops with you, especially in dry or air-conditioned environments.
If your lenses shift or stick frequently, the fit may be wrong. Lenses that are too flat or too steep for your eye’s curvature are more likely to slide off-center. An eye care provider can measure your cornea and adjust the lens brand or base curve. Switching from a standard soft lens to a daily disposable can also help, since fresh lenses retain moisture better than ones worn for two or four weeks.