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Putting your contact lenses in
- Step 1:
- Wash your hands with antibacterial soap, rinse them thoroughly and dry them with a clean kitchen towel.
- Step 2:
- Place the contact lens on the palm of your hand, check that it is clean with no tears or chips.
- Step 3:
- Ensure that the contact lens is not inside out (if it is the edges will flare out slightly) and place it on your forefinger (your pointing finger).
- Step 4:
- Insert the lens. Use the forefinger on your opposite hand hold up your upper eyelid to prevent you from blinking. Use the third finger on the hand in which you have the contact lens to hold down your lower eyelid. Look up and place the contact lens onto the white of your eye. Look downwards to allow the lens to slip into position. Remove your fingers and close your eye momentarily. Your lens should be in place.
- Step 5:
- Repeat the procedure on your other eye.
Helpful Tip: get into the habit of putting your right eye’s lens in first. It’ll reduce the chances of mixing up your contact lenses.
It does take a little practice to perfect your technique so don’t despair if you’re finding it difficult for the first few days or weeks. If you continue to have difficulty inserting your contact lenses then make an appointment with your contact lens Optician who should be happy to observe your technique and help you improve it.
Removing your contact lenses
- Step 1:
- Make sure the contact lens is in the middle of your eye before trying to remove it. To check the lens is centred cover your other eye. If your vision is blurred your lens is not in the correct place. Wash your hands with antibacterial soap. Look into a mirror and centre the lens with your finger.
- Step 2:
- Pull down your lower eyelid
- Step 3:
- Whilst you have your eyelid pulled down, place your finger on the bottom edge of your lens and slide it down to the white part of your eye.
- Step 4:
- Squeeze the contact lens gently between your finger and your thumb and remove the contact lens from your eye.
Helpful Tip: get into the habit of removing your right eye’s lens first. It’ll reduce the chances of mixing up your contact lenses.
Cleaning and storing contact lenses
- Step 1:
- Place the contact lens in the palm of your hand and apply a few drops of the recommended contact lens solution to the lens. Use your opposite hand’s forefinger (pointing finger) to rub the lens gently on both sides.
- Step 2:
- Rinse the lens thoroughly using plenty of contact lens solution.
- Step 3:
- Fill your lens case with plenty of contact lens solution and place your cleaned and rinsed contact lens in the appropriate compartment. Secure the cap of the lens case and repeat with your other contact lens. Leave your contact lenses in the lens case for at least six hours. Refer to individual solution guidelines as can differ. Letting it soak in the solution will disinfect the contact lens.
- Step 4:
- Repeat Step 1 & Step 2 before reinsertion.
- Step 5:
- After putting your contact lenses back in your eyes, pour the remaining solution out of the lens case. Rinse the lens case with fresh solution and leave open clean case to one side to air dry.
Warning: please never use water to clean or store your contact lenses. Water does not have the necessary contents to disinfect your contact lens correctly. In fact, cleaning your contact lenses with water may lead to a contamination of your lenses and has been known to cause irreparable harm to the eye.
If you wear daily disposables you do not have to worry about storing your contact lenses as outlined above. However, if you drop your lens or something gets caught in your eye you may have to clean it in which case you should follow the procedure outlined in Steps 1 and 2 above.
How long to wear your lenses for
In general most soft contact lenses have a recommended wearing time of not more than 10-12 hours continuously for up to 5 days a week. It’s recommended that you wear glasses for a couple of days a week to ensure that your eyes receive more than enough oxygen to stay healthy. Extended wear lenses can be worn whilst you are both awake and asleep for up to a week. However it’s important to realise that the recommended wearing time for a contact lens will vary by the type of lens and the wearer. Contact lens manufacturers provide wearing guidelines for your lenses (usually found on the packaging). Please follow the wearing schedule suggested by your Optician as he / she is uniquely well placed to advise you.
When to get in touch with your Optician
You should get in touch with your Optician if you are:
- Close to the expiry date of your prescription / due for a contact lens examination (typically every 12 months)
Experiencing a deterioration in the standard of your vision with contact lenses
- Considering changing to a contact lens solution which has not been recommended by the person who fitted your contact lenses
If you experience any of the following symptoms / irritations in your eyes please firstly take your contact lenses out of your eyes (even if wearing them seems to lessen the discomfort or symptoms) and secondly get in touch with your Optician as soon as possible:
Pain
Feeling of discomfort
Redness
Excessive watering
Visual disturbance
Itching
If your Optician is not available immediately and the problem is causing noticeable disturbance to your vision, you should consult your GP or go to Accident and Emergency at your local hospital.
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