Training Guide for New Contact Lens Wearers

OVERVIEW & PURPOSE

This will be a guide for your insertion and removal of contacts. Please, follow this step-by-step guideline daily. Don’t be nervous! Taking out and putting in your contacts is much like learning to ride a bike. With time and training it will become second nature. There are also videos on our website to help you if you get stuck.

WARNING: Overwearing Your Contacts.

Replace contact lenses as recommended by your eye care professional. (Daily, Bi-Weekly, or Monthly) Do NOT overwear your contacts as this can lead to serious eye problems in the future such as eye ulcers, conjunctivitis, Corneal Neovascularizati, and many more problems.

When you wear your contacts longer than their wear schedule, the efficacy of the lenses to bring oxygen to your eyes starts to break down. Think of it this way: when you first get your lenses, it’s like drinking through a standard straw. Easy. Simple. Once you overwear them, that straw turns into a coffee stirrer—the ability to get liquid through just diminishes thanks to the protein deposits on the surface of the lenses, therefore blocking oxygen from getting to your eye.

Inserting Contacts

• Always wash your hands before inserting contacts. It is best to wash hands with soap that is antibacterial and does not have any perfumes, dyes, or tints.
• With contacts, you want to make sure they are shaped like a “bowl” and not like a “taco”. If the lenses are flared out, the contact lens is backwards. You want to make sure you are always inserting your lenses correctly and not inside out.
• Using your non- dominant hand, gently push your lower lid down and upper lid up. You want to make sure your bottom and top eyelashes are out of your way when inserting your contacts.
• Your contact lens should be on your fingertip, sitting on the edge of your dominant hand. Gently take the contact and place it directly on your pupil.
• You can also look up and slowly slide the contact from the white part of your eye to the pupil.
• Once the contact is on your eyes, look around to get any “air bubbles” out of the contact lens.
• You can also close your eyes and gently press on the upper lid.
• Repeat steps for your second eye.

Removing Contacts

• Always wash your hands before removal of contacts. It is best to wash hands with soap that is antibacterial and does not have any perfumes, dyes, or tints.
• Using your dominant hand, gently push your lower lid down and upper lid up. You want to make sure your bottom and top eyelashes are out of your way when you are removing your contacts.
• Bring your index finger to your eye slowly touch the contact lens.
• Contact lenses are like suction cups and will stick to the surface of your pupil. To break this suction you will need to gently apply pressure.
• Once you have your finger on the contact lens gently move the contact away from the pupil to the side of your eye, where the whiteness of your eye is.
• Gently squeeze the lenses with your index finger and thumb to completely remove the contact.
• Repeat for your second eye.

Tips and Tricks

• Replace contact lenses as recommended by your eye care professional. (Daily, Bi-Weekly, or Monthly)
• Keep your fingernails short and clean.
• Make sure your mirror is sitting straight in front of you at eye level. Using a hand held mirror or vanity mirror is best.
• It is easiest if you are sitting down when inserting and removing contacts.
• If you ever drop your contact lens, pick up contact lens and apply contact lens solution to the lens. Gently rub the lens for 10-15 seconds to get any dirt or other particles that may have gotten onto the lens off of the lens.
• NEVER use water to clean your contacts. NEVER use water instead of solution for storing contact lenses.
• Make sure you are always using fresh contact lens solution every day.
• Once you put your contact lenses in for the day dump out the old solution. Rinse your contact lens case with your contact lens solution to clean it. Leave your lids off of your contact lens case and let the case air dry.
• A new contact lens case should be used when you are opening a new bottle of contact lens solution.
• It is not recommended to swim in your contact lenses.
• Put on contacts before you put your make-up on.

Click here for guides on inserting and removing contacts!