How to Insert and Remove Contact Lenses

Contact Lens Insertion

Contact lenses are characteristically inserted into the eye by placing them on the index finger with the curved in side up and raising them to contact the cornea. The other hand may be used to hold the eye open. Problems may occur predominantly with disposable soft lenses; if the surface pressure between the lens and the finger is too much the lens may roll itself inside out; then again it may fold itself in half. When the lens first touches the eye, a short period of irritation may result as the eye adjusts to the lens or furthermore (if a multi-use lens is not correctly cleansed) as dirt on the lens irritates the eye. Irrigation may help during this stage, which normally should not go beyond one minute.

Contact Lens Removal

A soft lens can be removed by holding the eyelids open and grasping the lens with thumb and forefinger. This process can cause irritation, could risk harm to the eye and may in many cases be tricky, partially due to the blink reflex. If the lens is pushed off the cornea it will fold up (due to the variation in curvature), making it easier to grasp.

Rigid contact lenses may be detached by pulling with one finger on the outer or lateral canthus, then blinking to cause the lens to lose bond. The other hand is normally cupped beneath the eye to catch the lens. There also exist small tools explicitly for removing lenses, which bear a resemblance to small plungers made of bendable plastic; the curved in end is raised to the eye and touched to the lens, creating a seal stronger than that of the lens with the cornea and allowing the lens to be detached from the eye.