How to apply and remove contact lenses

Many people don’t know how to wear contact lenses at first. Over the years, we have understood that this is a common uncertainty and in this article, we want to describe the steps as we suggest them every day to those who choose to rely on our experience. 

Whether young, adults or elderly, there is no limit to wearing contact lenses, as long as they are suitable for correcting the visual defect of each. So, don’t give up, at any age you can learn to wear contact lenses. 

Although the glasses can be a trendy accessory, so-called "contacts" are a really practical solution. In particular, for those who need a type of visual correction important and that would require glasses with thick lenses, the contact ones remove from every hindrance. 

Applying contact lenses correctly is crucial to ensure comfort and clear vision. In this guide, we will walk you through the key steps to learn how to position them on your eyes as effectively and safely as possible.

1. Place the lens on your finger

Before opening the single lens package or the small bottle in which we store it in the appropriate solution, we must always wash our hands with a mild soap. After that we will go to dry them well, with a clean towel and not leave pilucchi on the hands. 

It is good to be in a bright and equipped with mirror, such as the bathroom at home. 

Placing the lens on your finger is the first crucial step. To achieve more easily in our venture, it is advisable to place the lens on the middle finger. 

Make sure the lens is oriented in the right way: being spherical, it must have a curved cup on the finger. This means that it should not adhere to the fingertip as if it were a kind of hood but should remain on the "U" shaped finger.

If you happen to flip the lens, you will notice once you have it on your fingertip because the "U" shape will be a little more flared out rather than up.

Know that the secret to learning how to wear contact lenses is in care. Hold the lens with a gentle but firm grip. 

Your goal is to make sure it’s in the correct position. This means avoid pressing it (making it stick on itself) or bending it, and not leaving your fingerprints on it because you would no longer have such a clear vision.

2. Keep your eye open

Keeping the eye open is essential to ensure easy application and without causing redness or, worse, tears. To keep your eye open, you can use your ring finger to open the eye by holding down the skin underneath the eye. 

The ring finger is, together with the little finger, the finger that has less strength in the hand so you will apply a slight pressure, able to open the eye well. You can also use your index finger to keep the eyelid open. This will help prevent eyelashes from interfering with lens insertion.

Many people are afraid to see the lens approaching the eye and tend to close it. You should know that the touch of the lens on your eye does not cause any burning or pain.

An effective technique is to focus your gaze on a fixed point while you bring the contact lens closer to the eye. This will help you relax and reduce the urge to close your eyes unintentionally. By practicing, you will learn, like all people who wear them for a long time, how to put on the mirror-less lenses.

3. Drop the lens on the eye

Now you just have to drop the lens on your eye. It’s a simple step, but it requires precision and calm. Once you have gently placed your finger with the lens near the eye, release the lens in a controlled motion, making sure it falls into the center of the eye.

The lens will adhere to our iris, that is the colored part of the eye and you will hardly notice it on because it is transparent and will take the color of your eye.

It is normal to feel a slight feeling of contact but that has nothing to do with the pain or discomfort. If you feel discomfort it may be that the lens is not positioned correctly or that a pilucco or eyelash has been placed on its surface. Use your finger to move the lens slightly if you feel discomfort. 

If the discomfort persists, repeat the procedure instead of reddening the eye. Then remove the lens and rinse it with a few drops of saline solution, holding it in the palm of your hand.

You can perform these three steps using both your left and right hand, it depends only how comfortable you are or if you are left-handed.

If, once you wear both lenses you realize that you do not see well or a little blurred, it may be that we have left some imprint on the surface of one or both lenses. In this case, we recommend to remove them, rinse with saline or single solution (depending on the type of lens you use).

We recommend that women wear lenses before make-up to prevent their surface from becoming contaminated with makeup residues, especially mascara.

In general, the first time you wear lenses it can be helpful to have your trusted optician help. Contact us online and we will answer any of your questions or make an appointment in the store. We will be happy to guide you in choosing the right contact lenses for your needs and assist you in performing these three steps.