General Archives

What Happens If Your Contact Lens Gets Stuck in Your Eye

Comments Off

If you wear contacts then chances are you’ve had a lenses get stuck in your eye before. It’s a pain but it isn’t a crisis, there’s no reason to panic. Nothing really happens. First things first, let’s dispel an old wives tale. It’s impossible for a contact lens to get stuck behind your eye. This myth started because a contact can fold up under you eye lid and be difficult to find. Don’t worry it’s there. If you just roll your eyes and look side to side eventually you will see the lens and be able to remove it.

If the lends is physically stuck in place it’s probably from dryness. Don’t try to just pluck it off your eyeball. Instead use some saline solution or artificial tears to lubricate your eye first. The lens will hydrate and come out easily.

If a contact lens has folded up inside your eye then you’ll have to manipulate it to get it out. The first thing you can try is pinching your eyelid and move your eyes from side to side. This should work the lens down where you can grab it between your fingers to remove it.

If all this fails then you’ll need to take a trip to your eye doctor so it can be removed. It’s not going to hurt you to leave the lens in overnight.  Your eye might be a little irritated but it’s not damaging. The only time you have to worry about damaging your eye is if you just ignore the problem and leave the lens in place. Bacteria can breed and damage your eye in this scenario. 

What happens if your contact lens gets stuck in your eye? Not much, you’ll feel a little discomfort and you’ll need to eventually remove the lens. These few tips should help solve the problem

Reducing Contact Lens Discomfort

Leave your comment

With today’s advances in contact lens technology, corrected vision is more comfortable than ever before.  Space-age materials create a water-permeable, gas-permeable soft contact lens that rests smoothly and gently against your eye.

Unfortunately, far too many people experience discomfort with their contact lenses and simply accept that that is the price of having a piece of plastic in your eye.  The truth is that most causes for irritation can be easily resolved.  Moreover, ignoring contact irritation is a terrible idea, since small irritations can grow into dangerous infections if left untreated.

The most important step to healthy, comfortable contact lens use is to follow your eye doctor’s wear and cleaning directions to the letter.  Do not leave your contacts in longer than recommended, make sure you care for your contacts well when you are not wearing them, and clean them as directed and with the recommended cleaning solutions.

If your lenses seem scratchy or blurry, it could be that they have gotten dirty.  Take them out and clean them thoroughly to see if that solves the problem.

Roughness or scratchiness can also indicate that your lens is inside-out.  Remove the lenses and check that you have inserted them properly.

Another reason for scratchiness or red eyes can be that your eyes are too dry.  Dryness can be caused by a number of factors, including a high caffeine intake, smoking, dehydration and certain medications.

To counteract this, you can change your diet or take a nutritional supplement that stimulates your natural tear production.  If that doesn’t work, you can also resort to eye drops.

Ensure that you are wearing contact lenses that have been specifically prescribed for you. If you have purchased theatrical contact lenses or colored contact lenses for a special occasion without a prescription then this can result damage or irritation to your eyes.

If these simple tips don’t clear up your contact lens discomfort, or if you are experience very strong discomfort, consult your eye doctor as soon as possible.  A wide range of solutions exist to help you combat eye irritation from contact lenses – there is no reason to suffer!

Read more about the safe use of contact lenses.