Soft Contact Lenses

So I'm switching from glasses to contacts. Ive got these soft contact lenses, and they are extremely difficult to get in my eyes. They tend to not "stick" to my eyeball like they should. Any advice on how to get them in?

[swede123]

Have you even considered consulting your optometrist about this. I'd imagine he/she would know about these kinds of problems.

Swede

You will get it, it just takes time and practice. On mine if you hold them up to the light, it will read 123. If it is backwards, they are turned inside out and you need to fix that. Just keep doing it, it's annoying, but after a while, they go in nicely.

okay, make sure your hands arent super wet, drop a couple drops of the saline solution into the contact, and then put it on your eye just below the pupil, and then look down and push it gently with your finger on your lower eyelid onto the pupil. You'll know its gonna stay on when you feel the air bubble trapped between your eye and the contact push out.

it takes practice, but I've worn em for a couple years and I can do it without a mirror now.

Nice move btw, contacts are awesome. Get the ones you can wear overnight, otherwise it can be kind of a hassle if you pass out drunk somewhere, and wearing them too long can give you an eye infection, because when you sleep your eye wont get any oxygen through the contact.

[daveymck]

Practice is the only thing when I first got mine it could take me 40-45 minutes to get them in and out.

Make sure they're not inside out. That may sound odd, but if you look at one close, it should look like a perfectly smooth bowl, not be bowed out near the edges. I dont know how else to describe it. Your eyes can be too wet - I've worn contacts for years and years now, and sometimes, if I overlubricate before I put them in, I gotta take em out and blink a few times and try again.

That being said, you're probably doing the same thing that all of us did when we first got contacts. You mean you want me to TOUCH my EYE? Just do it. You get used to it. Uh...

Just follow swede's advice. He seems to be really on point today.

-- yasher

Hi swede,

Yea, when I was at the optomotrist I had some difficulty there too. But for whatever reason within about 25 min I managed to get them both in. Getting them out is no problem. Also, I'm sure they arent inside out, since the edge doesnt "curl up"

[Voltron87]

[ QUOTE ]
Get the ones you can wear overnight, otherwise it can be kind of a hassle if you pass out drunk somewhere, and wearing them too long can give you an eye infection, because when you sleep your eye wont get any oxygen through the contact.


[/ QUOTE ]

I've found that if I do this once a month or so it isn't a problem. There have been times when I forget to take them out, then after my shower when I wake up I check the box and they are missing, and then I realize they are still in. not too big a deal for me, maybe I have a different kind.but yeah, it is a bit of a pain sometimes worrying about it.

OP: make sure the contacts are wet and not inside out. then its practice, obviously use a mirror, but theres no magic trick. I thought it was impossible at first but after a while its easy.

[tonypaladino]

As others have said, it will get easier in time. When I first started wearing mine 10 years ago it took 45 minutes to put them in with a mirror. Now I can pop them in or out in half a second, no mirror.

Also, if you have toric lenses (meaning you have astigmatism) they are not perfectly round and only fit one way. So put them in, look straight up, close your eyes, put SLIGHT pressure on the eyelids with your fingertips and roll your eyes around in one direction for a few seconds. They will roll into place.

[LoaferGee12]

Finger tips should be completely dry.

[Luzion]

It doesnt matter if your fingers are dry or what not. The most important things are that your contact lens is moist, and that your index finger tip only touches the outside center of the lens. Use the 2-finger method and a mirror when you are starting out man, and make sure you try to relax and "unfocus" your eyes before plopping the lens in.

If you are putting in the lens right-side in and they still dont "stick" or feel comfortable then maybe you are wearing an incorrect size. I think all eye doctors let you wear the contact lens for a week or so to make sure the size fits you well and you have no problems before giving you the prescription. Might want to have a talk with that doctor about your lens not fitting before committing to a couple of boxes of contacts.

[tonypaladino]

Luzion,

It does matter. If your fingers are too wet the lens will stick to your finger instead of your eye, and is more likely to flip inside-out onto your finger tip.

TONY

[Luzion]

You are right, now that I think about it. I take it back. If your finger is too wet then sometimes it'll stick to your finger too much when you trying to plop it on top of your eye. The worst is when you get it on top of your eye but its still stuck partially to your finger. If you're not careful then the contact can fall out into the sink, or on the floor when you try to remove your finger and blink.

[ QUOTE ]
You will get it, it just takes time and practice. On mine if you hold them up to the light, it will read 123. If it is backwards, they are turned inside out and you need to fix that. Just keep doing it, it's annoying, but after a while, they go in nicely.

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same here

[whitelime]

I think the real problem may be the particular brand of lenses. I tried to switch brands once and had to go through 3 different kinds because the doctor didn't like how they "shuffled" in my eyes when I blinked. Talk to your doc.

I remember going through this, here's what I did: get comfortable touching your eye, then when applying the lens, move your finger in a few tiny circles before pulling your finger back. Eventually you won't have to do this.

[jar]

I just got a sample pair of contacts on tuesday, and I'm going through the same thing. It gets easier each time. For me, the actual mechanics of doing it is easy, it's just getting over the instinct to not shove my finger in my eye. Fortunately, I got the CIBA Focus Night and Day lenses, so once I'm used to them, I can leave them in for up to 30 days.

[pokerdirty]

[ QUOTE ]
I just got a sample pair of contacts on tuesday, and I'm going through the same thing. It gets easier each time. For me, the actual mechanics of doing it is easy, it's just getting over the instinct to not shove my finger in my eye. Fortunately, I got the CIBA Focus Night and Day lenses, so once I'm used to them, I can leave them in for up to 30 days.

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i've got these. they still dry your eyes out at night. it doesn't hurt like hell though in the morning like others will. i recommend taking them out at least once or twice a week for extended comfort.