If you recently started wearing contact lenses there are a few things to keep in mind that will help you along the way. Proper care and application should be maintained for everyone wearing contacts, but is often forgotten when people become too comfortable. Remember these tips and practice them on a daily basis.
Wash and rinse your hands well before placing a contact lens in your eye. Dirt from your fingers can dry the contacts and debris stuck under the lens can even cause damage. Make sure to rinse your hands completely to remove all soap or lotion before applying contacts as well. Clean lenses should feel good on your eyes.
Avoid dragging the lens from it’s case and try to pour each contact into the palm of your hand. Pulling on the lens can distort the shape or cause a tear.
Rinse the lens with contact solution and place it on the tip of your index finger. Look closely at the lens to make sure it is not flipped inside out. This can normally be determined if the cone shape looks bowed along the edges and curves slightly outward. The contact lens should appear as a perfect dome.
Pull down on your lower eyelid using your middle finger and place the lens on your eye as you look forward. Blink slowly and let the contact lens adjust to the contour of your eye. Your vision should be clear and the lens should fit comfortably in your eye.
Your hands should be clean when removing contact lenses too. Pull down on the eyelid, just as you would to insert contacts, and very gently pinch the lens with your thumb and index finger. Some people feel it helps to slowly move your eye while doing this. Hard contact lenses are more difficult to remove. To remove the lens safely you should bend over, pull your eyelid wide open, and blink until the contact falls into your other hand.