5 tips for putting contacts in like a pro
1. Set the stage
The first, and most important, tip for putting in contacts is cleanliness. Always wash and dry your hands thoroughly before starting. Don’t apply any lotion or other products to your hands before handling your contacts (unless you’re a big fan of burning eyes).
Starting from this point will be the easiest way to put in contacts. Dry, clean hands will have the best grip on your lens.
2. Remember: bowl good, saucer bad
Unfortunately, contact lenses are not reversible. They will only sit in your eye properly if they are facing the right direction. Gently place your contact on the tip of your finger and inspect the shape it makes. If you see a “saucer” shape with flared edges on the top, then it needs to be flipped inside-out. If you see a “mixing bowl” shape, then you’re good to go!
This is also a good time to double-check for stray hairs, protein build up, or anything else you don’t want in your eye. If you notice anything on the lens, just give it a quick rinse with contact lens solution.
3. Your eyelid is your enemy
Many of the issues people face when putting in contacts is related to their eyelid. Eyelids are great at their job, and we appreciate that, but they can be a little overprotective. To properly put in contacts, you’ll want to take your non-dominant hand and gently pull your eyelid up as much as possible.
If you have extra long lashes (lucky you) you may need to pull a bit harder than you think. Your eyelashes are fantastic at swatting contacts away at the last moment.
4. Don’t stare (it’s rude)
So, how do you put in contacts?
While your eyelid is pulled away, get your dominant hand in position with the contact lens at the ready. Before you start adhering the contact to your eye, be sure to look away. This does two things. First, it’s much easier to put the contact on the edge of your eye and blink it into place rather than adhere it directly onto your iris. Second, not staring at your finger while it comes toward your eye will help you avoid blinking or flinching.
Nice job! You have one in. Now, you’ll just repeat that process for your other eye.
5. Blink, like a lot
Once your contact has suctioned-cupped onto your cornea, just blink. And blink again. And again. No, seriously, keep blinking.
The shape of your lens and the shape of your eye should be very similar allowing it to slide right into position. This may feel odd at first and you may need to look around a bit to get it into the perfect position. You’ll know it’s in the right spot when you suddenly have 20/20 vision.
And that’s how you put in contacts. Amazing, right?
Now the hard part of wearing contacts is behind you! Just don’t forget to take them out later and keep up on a regular cleaning schedule if you wear monthly or bi-weekly lenses.
Need some more tips? We’ve got you covered.