How to Insert and Remove a Contact Lens

Contact lenses can be intimidating at first, but with some practice, they can actually be an extremely easy thing to put in and take out. Before you begin, make sure you have a clean surface to work at and that your hands are clean. Removing any eye makeup you may have on is helpful as well to avoid getting any of it in your eye or on your contact lens.

Materials:
A Mirror
Contact Lenses
Contact Lens Case
Contact Lens Solution

It's important to make sure your contact is not inside out. The lens should be a nice bowl shape. If the edges curl out to the side, the lens is inside out. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if it’s inside out; if you’re having issues, you can turn it the opposite way a few times to compare which way looks more bowl-shaped. As long as you aren’t too rough with the lens, this shouldn’t do any damage. (The photo shows a right-side out contact lens.)

Once you have the lens the correct way, set it on the end of the pointer finger of your dominant hand. Make sure your lens is not folded over on your finger and that the bottom of the bowl is what is touching your finger. With practice, you may find there's a spot you prefer placing it on your finger either higher or lower than you initially start. 

Use your hand without the contact to hold open your top eyelid. You want to grab underneath your lashes at the base of your lid with your hand coming from above. Keeping your elbow raised will make this feel more natural. You want to make sure your fingers are grabbing in the middle of your eyelid as it will make sure your lid is open evenly.

Use the middle finger of the hand with the contact to pull down your bottom eyelid. Again, grab towards the middle of your eyelid to make sure the eyelid opens evenly. Make sure your knuckles are bent to prevent your fingers from sliding down your face while pulling it open.

You’re now ready to put the contact in. Move your finger with the contact towards your eye while looking at yourself in the mirror with both eyes to know where to put the contact. Keep both eyes open so you can properly place the lens.

Keep moving your finger towards your eye. The whole contact needs to touch your eye, so it takes a little bit of pressure when putting the contact on. It may feel weird at first, but you’ll get used to the feeling in time. If you don’t get the contact on in your first try, keep trying! Putting in contacts is a weird task to learn and it isn’t natural for everyone initially. Like riding a bike, it just takes practice.

Once the contact is on, pull your index finger back gently.

Let go of your eyelids and gently close your eyes. If you need to blink a few times (or roll your eyes around with your lids shut) to settle the contact, do so. Your eyes may feel weird at first, but the feeling of being able to feel the contact in your eye will go away with time as you get more comfortable with wearing your contacts.

Open your eye up the same way you did in steps 3 and 4 for the insertion and look straight ahead in the mirror so you can watch what you’re doing.

Using your index finger and thumb, pinch the contact off your eye. The contact will be sitting over the colored portion of your eye. You want to apply pressure with your fingers apart, pinch in, and pull straight out. It takes a bit of pressure to get the contact off; it shouldn’t hurt, but it may feel a bit weird at first.

Once the contact is out, place it in a contact case with solution to store it or throw it away if it’s a daily lens. Make sure you put fresh solution in your case each time you put your contacts in it. The contact should be fully submerged in the solution.