How to Put in Contacts

It’s important to remember contact lenses are optical devices, and for that reason you need a prescription to use them. Most eye doctors won’t let you use them on your own until you’ve had a small tutorial in the office. They want to make sure you’re caring for your eyes properly.

Even with an in-person lesson, reading about how to put in contacts can help prepare you for what’s to come. Take a look at our tips below to learn exactly what to do to ensure your optical health.

How to Put In Contacts Safely

Get expert advice from your eye doctor before you attempt to use contacts. Even if you’re only using the lenses for color-changing purposes or a costume, you should consult a professional.

Before you can put in any contact lenses or touch your eyes, wash your hands thoroughly. Whether you’re working with eyeglasses or contacts, anytime you intend to touch your face or eyes, make sure you’re following recommended washing guidelines to keep germs and debris out of your eyes.

Dry them with a terry towel or a paper towel, whatever material won’t leave fuzz or other irritants behind on your fingers.

Practice

Take the contact lens and balance it on the pad of your pointer finger. If it’s not a brand new lens, squeeze some lens fluid onto the lens and rub the sides together to clean the lens of protein left from your last wear.

Pull up on your eyelid with the other hand and look away from the lens. Place the lens on the white of your eye next to the iris, then pull your finger away. Roll your eyeball around, looking up and down and side to side until the air bubbles underneath the contact lens are gone and the lens settles over your iris and pupil.

Repeat these steps with the other eye. Remember to keep your left and right contact lenses separate. If you get them confused, it can be very uncomfortable and you may share germs between your eyes.

Tips and Cautions

If you wear contact lenses for astigmatism, they are probably weighted lenses. That means if you look really closely, you’ll see a tiny clear line on one side of the lens.

These types of lenses should right themselves if you put them in crooked, but everything will look blurry for the first minutes of wear. If you can find the weight and ensure it’s on the top when you place the lens in your eye, your vision won’t take as long to clear up.

Be sure you replace your lenses when you’re supposed to. You can check online for contacts discounts for special deals if you’re concerned about the price, but never wear your contacts longer than recommended. It can lead to eye health problems and infections.

The Freedom of Contact Lenses

Now that you know how to put in contacts, you have much more freedom. You can play sports without a band holding your eyeglasses in place. You can wear sunglasses and enjoy your time in the sunshine without squinting and getting a headache.

There are many benefits to wearing contact lenses, but make sure you follow the steps above to practice good optical health.

For more of our self-care articles, check out the rest of our blog today!