If you are a wearer of contacts, at some point you might run into the problem of having your contact stuck in your eye, which is unfortunately an excruciating and all too common occurrence. This can happen when you are wearing a soft contact lens that is adjusted to your vision and your lifestyle. However, if the soft contact lens is more moist than the cornea of your eye, there is a chance that it may get stuck. Fortunately, there are a number of methods that you can use to dislodge a soft contact lens from your eye. Here are three great steps for removing soft contact lenses that get stuck in your eye.
Wash Your Hands Thoroughly
Lack of moisture in your cornea is one of the common ways that contacts can get stuck in your eyes. Once you have wet your hand, you can then feel comfortable touching your eye and determining where the soft contact lens is located in your eye. Make sure to use soap and warm water to rid your fingertips of bacteria, and keep your fingers moist as you fiddle with your eye.
Locate the Lens
After your hands are thoroughly wetted, it is now time to find if the lens is stuck in your cornea or off the center of your eye. To determine this, lift up your eyelid and take a look in the mirror. Sometimes, particularly if the lens has moved to the corner of your eye, you will be able to see it straight away. If not, your best bet is to spot it visually is to attempt to look in the opposite direction of where you believe the lens has fallen. If your vision is blocked when you look in the opposite direction, it is likely that the lens is the culprit.
Dislodge the Lens
Once you have determined if the lens is stuck in the center of your eye, or off to the center, you will be ready for removal. Ito remove the lens, you should rinse it and your eye for a few seconds with saline solution or multipurpose contact lens solution to wash it out. Afterwards, close your eye and gently massage your eyelid until you feel the lens start to move. It may take up to 15 minutes for the lens to become re-hydrated, but once its moist, you should be able to take it out as your normally would. If the lens is still stuck in your eye after this, try putting a fresh contact lens in and blinking. If done properly, this can help to draw out the stuck lens into the new lens, which can then be easily removed.
If you find that none of these techniques have worked for you, give your eye doctor a call immediately and have either the doctor of a technician remove the lens for you.