Contact lenses provide clear vision and comfort, but wearers occasionally encounter issues that interrupt their day. Since disposable lenses cannot be repaired, “fixing” involves troubleshooting and correcting problems related to positioning, debris, hydration, or damage to ensure eye health and comfort. This process requires immediate, safe steps, often involving lubrication and gentle manipulation, before professional intervention becomes necessary. This guidance focuses on resolving the most frequent contact lens complications.
Correcting Common Comfort and Vision Problems
A common reason for sudden discomfort or blurry vision is incorrect lens orientation. To check, place the lens on your fingertip and examine it from the side. A correctly positioned lens forms a smooth, rounded cup shape. If it is inside-out, the edges will flare slightly outward, resembling a soup bowl with a rim. This incorrect orientation causes the lens to move excessively, leading to irritation and poor visual clarity.
Poor vision can also result from a foreign object, such as dust or an eyelash, trapped under the lens. If you feel a sharp, gritty sensation, remove the lens immediately and inspect it. You can flush the eye with sterile saline or contact lens solution while blinking rapidly to wash the debris out.
Once the lens is removed, place it in your palm and apply fresh solution, gently rubbing the surface with your fingertip to dislodge adhered particles. Never use tap water for rinsing, as it contains microorganisms that can cause serious eye infections. After cleaning, rinse the lens thoroughly with solution before reinserting.
Dryness or mild irritation results from the lens losing moisture throughout the day, especially in arid or air-conditioned environments. Using approved rewetting drops can rehydrate the lens surface while it is still on the eye. Blinking exercises, where you complete a full, deliberate blink cycle several times, can also help redistribute the natural tear film over the lens.
Retrieving a Stuck or Lost Lens
A contact lens that feels “stuck” is usually immobilized on the eye’s surface due to dehydration. Do not attempt to pinch or peel the lens off immediately, as this can injure the corneal surface. Instead, apply several drops of a lubricating or rewetting solution directly to the eye to hydrate the lens.
After applying the solution, close your eye for a few moments to allow the lens to reabsorb moisture and regain flexibility. Once lubricated, gently massage the eyelid over the area where the lens is located to encourage movement. The regained elasticity allows the lens to slide freely, making it safe to remove using the standard pinch technique.
If the lens has migrated and seems “lost,” rest assured that it cannot physically go behind the eye due to the conjunctiva, the membrane connecting the inner eyelid to the eyeball. The lens is most likely folded or dislodged under the upper or lower eyelid. To locate it, look in the opposite direction of where you feel the lens is lodged, which helps move it back into a visible position.
With clean hands, gently pull the eyelid away from the eyeball and use a mirror to locate the lens. If it is under the upper lid, look down and gently manipulate the lid to guide the lens down onto the cornea for safe removal. Patience and liberal use of rewetting drops are the most effective tools for retrieving a dislodged lens without causing irritation.
Assessing and Handling Physical Damage
When a contact lens causes immediate, severe discomfort upon insertion, remove it and inspect it for physical damage. The most common forms of damage are tears, chips, or rough edges caused by mishandling. To identify damage, hold the lens up to a light source over a solid background to look for breaks in the smooth, continuous curvature.
A torn, chipped, or ripped contact lens cannot be repaired and must be discarded immediately. Wearing a damaged lens poses a significant risk because the jagged edge can scrape the delicate corneal surface with every blink. These corneal abrasions increase the eye’s vulnerability to bacterial infections, potentially leading to serious conditions like keratitis.
Damage can also manifest as a persistent, hazy buildup that resists standard cleaning and rinsing. This is an accumulation of protein, lipids, and other tear film components that have permanently bonded to the lens material. If a lens remains cloudy or gritty after a thorough cleaning and disinfection cycle, it indicates that the structural integrity has been compromised by deposits.
Continuing to wear a lens with unresolvable buildup or physical tears will only lead to chronic irritation and possible infection. The only safe action is to replace the damaged lens with a fresh one. Never attempt to trim, glue, or otherwise repair a contact lens, as this introduces dangerous irregularities and contaminants.