Taking your contact lenses out can be scary the first time you do it. It won’t be long before you get the hang of it – here are some important steps to remember.
Prepare the space
- Wash your hands with a mild soap, rinse completely and dry with a lint-free towel. This is important to remember – we want to avoid eye infections.
- Close any nearby drains.
Removing the lenses
- With your head straight, look upwards as far as you can.
- Place your middle finger on the lower eyelid of your eye and pull the eyelid down, then touch the lower edge of the lens with the tip of your index finger. You may want to hold the upper lid and lashes with the other hand to prevent blinking.
- While still looking up, slide the lens down to the white part of the eye with your index finger.
- Still looking up and holding the lens with the index finger, move your thumb so that you can compress the lens lightly between the thumb and the index finger. Then gently remove the folded up lens from the eye.
- You will not feel the lens between your thumb and finger, but you will feel it come off
your eye. - Remove the other lens following the same procedure.