New to contact lenses? With practice, you’ll soon put in and take out your contact lenses successfully and with ease. Read on as our trusted optometrist at Alderwood Optical & Canyon Park Vision Clinic shares a few useful guidelines to keep in mind.
Inserting Your Contacts
Wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly before touching your contacts, then dry them with a clean, lint-free cloth or tissue. This helps reduce the risk of eye infection when touching your contacts. Be sure to use your dominant hand when putting in the contact lenses so you won’t risk dropping them, while using the other hand to keep your eyelids open.
Stand over a clean, flat surface when inserting your contact lenses. Carefully remove one of the lenses from the storage case with your fingertips and not your nails. If it falls, rinse it with solution again before putting it in your eye. When placing them in your eye, you can look toward the ceiling so that the lenses can drop over easily. Afterward, make sure to close your eyes slowly and roll them in a full circle to help settle the lens properly in place. You can also check if they’re centered in your eyes using a mirror.
Keep in mind that contacts prescribed by your eye doctor can have different power or measurements for each eye, so make sure you are putting each lens in the correct eye.
Taking Them Out
Wash your hands with soap and water thoroughly then dry them with a clean, lint-free cloth or tissue. Use the tip of your index finger of your dominant hand to gently remove the lens while the other hand is pulling your lower eyelid down and holding your upper eyelid open. Once you move the lens to the outer white part of your eye, use your thumb to carefully squeeze (not pinch!) the lens to pull it out. Make sure to use the tips of your fingers and keep the fingernails from touching your eyes!
When it comes to reliable optical care services, Alderwood Optical & Canyon Park Vision Clinic has you covered! Just call (425) 771-8472 if you’re from Lynnwood or (425) 485-0430 if you live in Bothell. You can also set an appointment through our online request form to get started! We serve Bothell, WA, and the surrounding communities.