How to Put in Soft Contacts

Overview

Contact lenses are a simple solution to temporarily correct vision problems. They're less cumbersome than eyeglasses, and not a permanent undertaking like corrective eye surgery. But soft contact lenses aren't without risks, including infection, if they are not handled and inserted correctly.

Step 1

Start with clean hands. Before you touch your eyes or your contact lenses, wash your hands. Use antibacterial soap and warm water, and thoroughly wash the fronts and backs of your hands. Try to shake off the water and let them dry without using a towel, which could contaminate your hands with small particles that could get in your eye.

Step 2

Get out the first lens, whether it's from a new package of disposables or a pair already in a case. Gently swipe the lens with your index finger and place it in the palm of your hand. Using a contact lens solution, such as sterile saline, squirt the lens and gently rub it with your finger. Remove it from your palm and place it, curved upward, on your index finger.

Step 3

Open your eye by pulling the top eyelid with the fingers on your opposite hand. Then use your middle finger of the hand with the contact lens to gently pull down your bottom eyelid. If you choose to use only one hand, just use the middle finger of your hand holding the contact lens to pull down the eyelid. Carefully place the lens on your eyeball, remove your fingers from your eye and blink several times.

Step 4

See how it feels. Make sure your lens is placed in the eye the correct way--it should feel comfortable when you blink, and the lens shouldn't move. If the lens feels like it is slipping or there are foreign particles in your eye, remove it, rinse it again, or try flipping it over before inserting it in the eye again.

Step 5

Once your contact lens is comfortable, then get the other contact lens and follow the same process to clean and insert it in your other eye. Make sure you give your storage case a good rinse with solution after you've dumped out the old solution--never reuse solution. Air dry the case, then close it and put it away for the next use.