Putting in contacts for the first time - Advice

skywalker

Hi all,
Got a pair of novelty contact lenses for halloween over the weekend, & tried to put them in last night for a trial run. I've never worn contacts before & didnt think it would be THAT hard to get them in, but after 20 mins or so, with tears streaming down my face, I admitted defeat.

So Im appealing to the boardsters for tips or tricks on how to put in contacts, & anything which will make putting them in the first time a little easier.

HarryHoudini

Its very trickey for the first few times. Make sure you have dip them in some lense cleaning solution before putting them in otherwise you'll risk infection.

This is to be done in front of a mirror. Place the contact lense on the tip of your right index finger. With your left hand reach around the back of your head and pull up your eye lid, using your right hand middle finger pull down on the lower part of your eye. Then carefully push the contact lense squarely onto the middle of your eye where your pupil is.

It should stay in no bother as the lense creates a suction on your eye.

As for taking them out, using the same trick as before clamp your eye open, then using the thumb and index finger pinch the lense at either side and remove.

tman

i find a dab of vinegar works wonders when i'm breaking in new contacts

oneweb

You should never wear contacts without first getting an optician to check your eyeballs, and to show you how to put contacts in and take em out properly.

You could feck up yer eyes completely if you don't know what you're doing, hardly worth a few days of funny eyes to end up a lifetime with funny sight.

Sifo

skywalker wrote:

Hi all,
Got a pair of novelty contact lenses for halloween over the weekend, & tried to put them in last night for a trial run. I've never worn contacts before & didnt think it would be THAT hard to get them in, but after 20 mins or so, with tears streaming down my face, I admitted defeat.

So Im appealing to the boardsters for tips or tricks on how to put in contacts, & anything which will make putting them in the first time a little easier.

Ok

You have to be careful not to hit the pupil when putting them in. Place the contact on the tip of your index finger, with your other hand hold down your lower eye lid, look up and place the lens under your lower eye-lid, close your eye, whilst closed look up down left and right until it feels comfortable, open your eye and "presto", your now one scarey ass mofo...

Merrick

And very importantly, never ever put contacts in if they have even the tiniest wee bit of dust on them. Believe me, it's one of the most painful things you can do to yourself...

kenmc

Hi, I wouldn't recommend doing this either, but if you must ...

I found the most difficult part was holding my eyelid back ... when your eyes get teary, then its even more difficult as its all slippy. Here's my tip - put a bit of mascara on before hand, and let it dry. You'll find you'll have much better grip!

Bard

Your 'novelty' contacts may well be completely unsuitable for your eyes - they may be the wrong shape and be totally uncomfortable as they scrape your eyeballs. Personally, I have an astygmatism which means my eyes are slightly squashed in shape (almost like rugby balls, say). It's quite a common condition. As far as I know, if I were to wear novelty contacts, I'd have to get special ones made.

As has already been mentioned, with any contact lenses, novelty or not, it's best to get an optician to have a look at your eyeballs and advise you as to how to put the lenses in.

*Angel*

Yeah you should've gone to the optician, but anyways it's a good idea not to wear make-up cause it could easily dirty the contact, make sure it's freshly soaked in the solution. Put on index finger, lift lid with other hand and hold down bottom lid with contact hand, eye focusing straight at the mirror infront of you and you should have no problem gently placing it in.

dundalk cailin

they are very tricky to put in at the start. do as harry houdini said, but i would get my eyes tested by an optician first, and make sure there's no dust on them...SO sore!! good luck

i have to say i wouldnt go thru the process of putting contacts in if i didnt actually need them, but each to their own i s'pose

Bacchus

Hey, the instructions given above are the same as how I put mine in. Really though, go see an optician first before trying this. There is so much risk of damaging your eye if you don't know what you're doing. You may not have the right type of lense for you eyes, you may be using the cleaning solution incorrectly/have the wrong solution. Pop into Specsavers or your nearest opticians for a check before trying this.
I have the stygmatism thing in my left eye too. I have to get a special "Toric" lense for it.

JohnK

A google search came up with this: http://www.alconlabs.com/au/eo/clc/B3_InsertRemove.jhtml

skywalker

I understand the risks, Ive already got the lenses & the fluid etc. Thanks for the folks who answered my question.

Cake Fiend

skywalker wrote:

I understand the risks

I doubt it, unless you've consulted a qualified optician (not your mate Danny who wears contacts, or whoever). Do you know what happens to your eye when white blood cells leak out into the cornea because of irritation?

DrIndy

Wash your hands very carefully and dry them on a clean towel.

pull down your lower eyelid, to ensure your eyelashes are turned out.

DO NOT PULL UP YOUR UPPER EYELID!!!! (especially from your eyebrow) You can damage a very important muscle there and leave your eyelid droopy and walk around like Paris Hilton for the rest of your life!!!

aim for below the coloured part of your eye and try to avoid your eyelashes on your upper eye - stare at yourself as hard as you can.

It is a natural instinct to blink when something comes towards your eye and only practise allows you to overcome that.

Place it on your eye and look at your finger to make it attach to your cornea.

getting the aid of an optician the first few times is a very wise idea. The best motto is to stay as clean as you can.

JackKelly

expect a "hoew dio i tske oyt my nw cintavts>" thread soon.

DrIndy

Rofl!

dundalk cailin

DrIndy wrote:

DO NOT PULL UP YOUR UPPER EYELID!!!! (especially from your eyebrow) You can damage a very important muscle there and leave your eyelid droopy

my optician never told me that :eek:

i was told to pull the upper eyelid with left hand (im a righty), when i bring the contact to my eye look up, then let the lid down gently, look down to put it in place. its very tricky to maneuvre. how come most of us posting here were told to pull up the upper eyelid?

skywalker

Got them in after a few tries last night. Strange sensation for the first few mins, but after that its fine.