How To Get A Folded Contact Out Of Your Eye Safely?

Finding a folded contact lens stuck in your eye can be alarming, but it happens to nearly everyone who wears contacts at some point. The safest way to get a folded contact out of your eye is to wash your hands thoroughly, look upward, gently pull down your lower eyelid, and use the pad of your fingertip to slide the lens down onto the white of your eye where you can pinch it out. If the lens is truly stuck or your eye is painful, stop trying to remove it and call your eye doctor—forcing a dry, folded lens out can scratch your cornea.

Why Do Contact Lenses Fold In The Eye?

Contact lenses fold or flip inside the eye most often when they are too dry. Your tear film is what keeps the lens flexible and sitting smoothly on your cornea. When your eyes dry out—from staring at a screen, being in air conditioning, or taking certain medications—the lens loses moisture and can fold over on itself.

Another common cause is rubbing your eyes. Rubbing can catch the edge of the lens and fold it under your eyelid. Soft contact lenses are especially prone to this because they are thin and flexible. Rigid gas permeable lenses rarely fold, but they can get displaced onto the white of the eye or under the upper lid.

The lens usually folds in half, like a taco, and gets tucked up under your upper eyelid. This is why you may not see it when you look straight into a mirror. The lens is still in your eye, but it has moved out of your central vision area.

What To Do First: Before You Touch Your Eye

Do not touch your eye until your hands are clean. Wash your hands with mild soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds, then dry them with a lint-free towel. Your hands carry oils, bacteria, and tiny fibers that can irritate your eye or cause an infection if introduced to the surface of your eye.

Never use tweezers, cotton swabs, fingernails, or any tool to try to remove a folded lens. These items can tear the lens or, more seriously, scratch your cornea. Your fingertip is the only tool you need.

Find a well-lit area with a mirror. If you have rewetting drops or sterile saline solution, have them within reach. Do not use tap water—it is not sterile and contains microorganisms that can cause serious eye infections.

How To Get A Folded Contact Out Of Your Eye Safely: Step By Step

Follow these steps in order. Move slowly and do not rush. Most folded lenses come out within a minute or two.

1. Moisten your eye. Put 2 to 3 drops of rewetting drops or sterile saline directly into your eye. Blink several times. This may be enough to rehydrate the lens and cause it to unfold on its own. Wait 30 seconds after applying drops before doing anything else.
2. Look upward. Tilt your head back slightly and look up toward the ceiling. This moves the lens away from your upper eyelid and onto the lower part of your eye.
3. Pull down your lower eyelid. With the middle finger of one hand, gently pull your lower eyelid down. This exposes the lower white part of your eye, called the sclera.
4. Slide the lens down. With the pad of your index finger on your other hand, gently press on the lower part of your eyelid or the white of your eye and slide the lens downward toward your lower lid. The goal is to move the lens off the cornea and onto the white of the eye.
5. Pinch the lens. Once the lens is on the white of your eye, gently pinch it between the pads of your thumb and index finger. Do not use your fingernails. Lift it straight out.

If the lens is folded and you cannot get it to slide, try closing your eye and gently massaging your upper eyelid with your fingertip in a circular motion. This can help work the lens down from under the lid. Open your eye and check again.

What If The Lens Is Stuck Under Your Upper Eyelid?

Lenses that fold often get trapped beneath the upper eyelid. If you cannot see the lens when you look in the mirror, it may be up there. Do not panic—it cannot go behind your eye. The anatomy of your eye physically prevents anything from moving behind the eyeball.

To check under your upper lid, look downward into a mirror. Gently pull your upper eyelid up and away from your eye using the fingers of one hand while you look down. If you see the lens, use the pad of your other hand’s fingertip to gently nudge it down onto the eye surface.

Another technique is to close your eye completely and place your fingertip on your closed upper eyelid. Gently press and move in small circles. This often dislodges a folded lens and lets it fall back onto the eye surface where you can then slide it out as described above.

If you have a partner or family member nearby, they can help by looking at your eye with a bright light. A second pair of eyes can see the lens position faster than you can with a mirror.

When To Stop And See A Doctor

You should stop attempting removal and contact your eye doctor if any of the following happens:

• Your eye becomes painful or feels worse with each attempt
• Your vision becomes blurry or cloudy
• You see redness that spreads or worsens
• You feel like something is still in your eye after you believe the lens is out
• You have tried for more than 15 minutes without success
• Your eye is watering excessively and you cannot keep it open

If you cannot remove the lens, your eye doctor can do it in minutes with specialized tools and numbing drops. Going to the doctor is not a failure—it is the safe choice. Trying too hard to remove a stuck lens can scratch your cornea, which is painful and can take days to heal.

Do not sleep with a folded lens in your eye. If you cannot remove it and it is late at night, call your eye doctor’s emergency line or go to urgent care. Leaving a lens in overnight significantly increases your risk of a corneal infection.

What To Do With The Lens After You Get It Out

Once the lens is out, examine it. If it is torn, wrinkled beyond repair, or has been out of solution for more than 30 minutes, throw it away. Do not try to reuse a damaged lens.

If the lens looks intact, place it in your palm and rinse it thoroughly with contact lens solution. Never use water or saliva. Check the lens for any debris or damage under good light. If it looks clean and undamaged, you can place it in your lens case with fresh solution.

Even if the lens looks fine, give your eye a rest. Put your glasses on and wait at least a few hours before reinserting the lens. Your eye has been through some mechanical stress, and the surface cells of your cornea may be irritated even if you do not feel it.

If your eye continues to feel scratchy, dry, or red for more than a few hours after the lens is out, see your eye doctor. A small corneal abrasion can feel like a stuck lens even when nothing is in your eye.

How To Prevent A Folded Contact Lens

The most effective prevention is keeping your lenses hydrated. Use rewetting drops approved for contact lenses several times a day, especially if you work at a computer or spend time in dry environments. Blink frequently and take screen breaks.

Replace your lenses on the schedule your eye doctor gave you. Lenses that are past their replacement date become stiffer and more prone to folding. Protein deposits that build up on older lenses also make them less comfortable and more likely to move around.

Check that your lens is not inside out before inserting it. An inside-out lens sits differently on your eye and is more likely to fold or shift. To check, place the lens on your fingertip and look at it from the side. The edges should curve upward like a bowl. If the edges flare out like a plate, the lens is inside out.

Rubbing your eyes is a habit worth breaking. If your eyes feel itchy or dry, use rewetting drops instead of rubbing. Rubbing is the single most common trigger for a lens folding or becoming displaced.