How Do I Insert My Contact Lenses

How to insert your contact lenses - Video

How to insert your soft contact lenses video

How to put in your contact lenses

Inserting contact lenses is a simple process once you are familiar with it. Don't worry, with a little practice of the following steps you will have your lenses in in no time.

A simple five-step process will get your contacts in

1. Clean and dry your hands.
2. Remove the contact lens from its case.
3. Separate your upper and lower lid.
4. Place the contact lens on your eye.
5. Blink slowly to allow the lens to settle

It's that easy, but if you are new to contact lenses or want a more detailed description you may need to follow our more in-depth guide below

New to Inserting Contact Lenses

Although it might seem daunting at first, anyone can master putting in contact lenses with a little perseverance and patience.  After a few weeks of practice, you’ll be surprised just how easy it is to insert your lenses and wonder what all the fuss was about.  

It's a good idea to practice the insertion and removal of contact lenses when you are not in a rush to catch the train, be at a wedding or pick the kids up from school. 

Below, you’ll find an easy-to-follow guide on how to safely insert contact lenses. 

If you are finding it hard to put in your contact lenses or the thought of touching your eyes is a bit scary, Don't Panic and don't give up, take a deep breath and a step back, and try getting used to touching your eye first with no contact lens on your finger, this can save you dropping or damaging a lens whilst you gain confidence.

Wash and dry your hands and hold your eye open as if you were about to put in a contact lens. Now, slowly bring your dominant hand’s index finger forward until you can touch the eye. If it helps, look upward and only touch the whites of your eyes.

A Simple Technique For Inserting Your Contacts Lenses

Below, you’ll find a simple strategy for safely inserting contact lenses every day. This may initially seem long but, once you become confident this is a very quick process. As you become more skilled at inserting your lenses, feel free to add your own preferences to these guidelines. 

• Wash your hands with soapy water and dry thoroughly with a clean towel before you handle contact lenses. - the importance of this can't be stressed enough. 

• Use your fingertips (not your nails!) to pick up one lens from your blister pack or solution-filled contact lens case. 

• Sprinkle a few drops of solution on your contact lens and gently rub it on the palm of your hand.

• Check for any scratches or cloudy patches and then rinse the lens with more solution. 

• Once your lens is clean, ensure it’s facing the correct direction by looking for bowl-shaped edges (more on this a bit later).

• Put your contact lens on the tip of your dominant hand’s index finger. 

• Pull up on your upper eyelid with your non-dominant hand’s fingers.

• Pull down on your lower eyelid with your dominant hand’s middle and fourth fingers. 

• Gently lower the lens onto your pupil until it makes contact.

• Close both your eyes and roll your pupils until the lens feels secure. 

• Repeat with the second lens for the other eye. 

How To Tell If Your Contact Lens Is Inside Out

You can check to see if your contact lens is inside out or not before insertion, there are two main techniques, the Bowl test and the Taco test.

The Bowl Test

With your contact lens on your finger bring the lens up to eye level and take a look at the shape of your lens, it should have very smooth edges just like a bowl. If your lens is the wrong way, it will have a noticeable indentation at the edge, almost like an upside-down UFO.   

The Taco Test

Another easy way to identify if your lens is inside out is the 'Taco Test' place the contact lens between your thumb and forefinger and gently pinch the lens, if the edges roll inwards like a taco then your lens is the right way around, however, if the edges curl outwards then your lens is inside out.

Interestingly, not everyone can immediately sense when they put in their contact lenses the wrong way. While some will immediately feel eye discomfort, too much movement of the lens, or pressure, others might only notice symptoms like blurry vision or eye discomfort hours after they put the lens in.
 
Contacts have a specific shape to fit the eye well, and have not been designed to be put in inside out, so it’s important to thoroughly screen your contacts before placing them in your eyes. Wearing lenses that are inside out could lead to significant eye discomfort, dry eyes, and variable vision. 

If you are new to contact lens wear and/or have difficulty telling if a lens is the right way out before insertion, you may be interested in lenses by Johnson and Johnson (and other companies)  that have designed their lenses with special symbols to help you tell if it’s right-side up.

If you are having trouble speak to your Optometrist about the Acuvue range of contact lenses as they have a 123 'inside out' indicator. 

Can I use a Sucker to Help me Insert Soft Contact Lenses?

There are a variety of suckers on the market, like Optiwand that are used to hold your contact lenses for insertion, instead of balancing the contact lens on your index finger. 

Some people find these helpful for alignment - but reviews on Amazon are mixed. Some people give them five stars and say that without this device they just could not handle contact lenses, and others 1 star who found it useless. If you use this device then remember to thoroughly clean it regularly.

Now To Get These Lenses Out? 

Now that you’ve successfully placed your contacts in your eyes, you’re probably wondering how you’re going to get them out. We have a sister article detailing proper lens removal techniques.

Finally - Don't give up keep at it, almost everyone succeed eventually!