Can a contact lens get stuck in your eye?

If you've landed on this article chances are you might be a bit panicked and frantically trying to figure out where your lost contact lens has gone. Did it pop out without you noticing or is it making its way to the back of your skull? Take a deep breath. The good news is a contact lens can't travel very far behind your eyeball. There is a thin lining of your inner eye called the conjunctiva. It folds back into the back part of your eye making it impossible to lose anything behind your eye--dirt, an eyelash, or a contact lens.  

Phew. Now that you know your contact isn't going anywhere, take a few deep breaths and let's move onto removing that sneaky contact.  

How to remove a stuck contact lens

If you haven't already: wash your hands and turn on some relaxing music. If you've been stressing and pulling at your eye for the last little bit your eye may need a break for a few minutes. Next, find your contact lens rewetting drops. Rewetting your eye will help loosen the contact where it may be lodged. Add rewetting drops as frequently as you'd like. You can't add too many and they can help dislodge the contact. Once you've applied the drops, gently massage your eyelid over your closed eye. After massaging your eye your contact may quickly reappear for easy removal. If not, your contact may be a bit folded and stuck under your eyelid. But even there, it is not lost and can't travel far. 

If your first attempt ended without success, it's time for a new plan. As mentioned, your contact may be stuck further up under your eyelid. To remove it start by gently turning your upper eyelid inside out. This will make you look very attractive so make sure someone is nearby to take pictures. Once you've turned the eyelid, tilt your head back but keep looking at the mirror. At this point, you should be able to see that missing, and potentially folded, contact lens with your other eye. Gently move the contact with your eyelid until it slides back onto the front of your eye. Now, being the contact-wearing expert you are, remove the contact as you normally would.  

If neither of these attempts are successful, your eye might just do the work itself. Your body will recognize the contact as a foreign object and try to push it out. If you're still feeling nervous about the contact, ask a friend or family member to help you or call your eye doctor.  

What causes a contact to become stuck in your eye?

Now that you've either removed the contact or are slowly working on it, let's get into how a contact gets stuck or "lost." A few common culprits include:  

1. Sleeping in your lenses - this can dry out your contacts and cause them to stick to your cornea. The solution is simple: never ever ever ever (even on your birthday) go to sleep without removing your contacts.  

2. Rubbing your eyes - this may dislodge your contact and move it out of position. If your eyes are feeling a little dry, irritated, or tired, stick with hydrating them with some rewetting drops instead of rubbing them.  

3. A fragment of a torn lens gets left behind and stuck in your eye. We recommend inspecting your contacts for any minor rips or tears before putting them in each time. (P.S. If you do find a tear in your lens give us a call! We offer free torn lens replacement and will send you a new contact.) 

Good luck with your contact removal--once again if you're having a hard time don't hesitate to call your eye doctor for some additional help.