HOW DO I PUT IN SOFT CONTACT LENSES FOR THE FIRST TIME: A how to put in contacts for beginners

How to Insert and Remove Soft Contact lenses in your eyes. This beginner tutorial video will give you instructions on how to put in soft contact lenses for the first time. It is a great tool for beginners to contact lenses.

So if you are a beginner and new to contact lenses this video will teach everything you need to know on how put on contacts. Putting in contact lenses can be tricky for the first time but we will teach you all you need to know so you will be a pro at how to put in contact lenses.

Never wear a contact lens or use a contact lens solution that has not been prescribed by your optometrist. Contact lenses are categorized by Health Canada as Class 2 medical devices which means there is moderate to high risk to safety for patients in their use. Using contact lenses that are not fit correctly and not having the fit and the health of your eye regularly examined can result in complications that can result in loss of vision and the inability to wear contact lenses.

Step 1: Always wash your hands

Step 2: Always Right First
Always start with the right lens. Put the right lens in first and remove right lens first. This will get you in a habit so don’t mix up your right and left lenses.

Step 3 Holding your lids
The key to inserting and removing contact lenses is being able to the hold your lids. The lid muscles are extremely strong, and we have a natural blink reflex that causes you to blink when you bring something towards your eye

All these instructions are going to assume you are right-handed, so if you are left-handed you could reverse them. Start with your right eye and then take your left arm and reach over, make sure you get your elbow pointed straight up. Then you use your middle finger of your left hand and you want to pull up on the lashes and lid margin in the middle of your upper lid and pinch that up to your brow. If you do it correct you and you try to blink your eye should not close.
Next you take the middle finger of your right hand and you press down on your lower lid. The lower lid is not nearly as strong as the upper lid so you don’t really need to pull down with a lot of pressure. It is important to use your middle finger because you will be placing the contact lens on the index finger.

Step 4: How to Position the contact lens on your finger.
Take the contact lens out of the case. Your goal is to handle it as little as possible, particularly on the inside part to so you don’t introduce lint or dust onto the lens.
You want your finger relatively dry, if it is not dry then wipe it dry on your hand, not on a cloth or tissue so you do introduce lint.
You want all the edges of the lens sitting up. If any are folded down the lens will never come off your finger.

Step 5: Placing on eye.
Hold your upper and lower lids. Position the contact lens on the tip of the index finger of your right hand. Touch the contact onto the cornea and the lens should adhere to the cornea. After placing the contact lens on your eye, do not let go of the lids. The lens will not be settled yet. Holding your lids, move your eye around and then gently blink and the lens should settle.

Step 6. Removing the contact lens
To remove the contact lens, hold your lids in the same manner as when inserting the lens. Reach in with the fleshy portions of your thumb and index finger of your right hand and pinch the contact lens in half to remove. The contact lens will fold in half when you pinch it to pull it out.

Step 7. Visit your optometrist annually to assess the fit of your contact lenses, the health of your eye, your vision and to find out what new options are available for contact lens wearers.

[PeteDavies]

You made that look so easy.
I had conjunctivitis when I was a very small child, every morning I had 3 people holding me down to put drops in my eyes, I never ever recovered from that, even to this day, and I'm now 63 years old.
Cannot abide anything near my eyes, even my own finger, its more or less impossible for me to hold my own eyelid open like you do.
I haven't had contacts very long, but Ive got a long way to go before I become any good at putting them in.

[robertrose]

Amazing because some of these steps we are shown opposite.

For me, I do my left eye first always because its the most difficult to apply and my logic is until I get it in, the easier one is pointless. 🤓

1. For applying, tip of the finger makes more sense because less surface area is holding it and you're transferring to a larger surface area-in theory👍. I was shown either the pad of my finger or even the side. I'll try the tip.

2. Dry finger makes more sense too but I was told moist, which didn't make sense as the contact is attracted to moisture, plus a moist finger causes the contact to move around more. Also what makes sense is hydrating your eye with drops just before, as I saw on one video. 👍

3. It makes more sense to place the contact on your cornea because that's the area its shaped for and should attach easier-in theory. 👍I was told to get the contact close and look up, then apply on the white area near the bottom. Your version is as close to the cornea as possible, then look up (if I recall) then around, then blink. I'll do that as well because there is no try-do or do not. 🤓

4. Yesterday I saw a video of an Asian lady on a different removal method you may try. Basically, for her right eye, she took her right index finger and lightly pulled the corner of her right eye toward the outside of her face. Then with her left index finger, she started from the top of her eyelid, caressed downward until the contact was at the bottom eyelid folded, then removed it. Never even touched her eye or went near her cornea. 👍

My issue is my eyes are kind of squinty and super sensitive. I also just started 2 weeks ago and my doc said it was an uphill battle anyway as I have the Bausch & Lomb mutifocal turic lenses (which are only 1-2 years in the market) which are difficult to apply even for experienced users. However when I do get them in, my vision on mobile devices, distance and all in between are almost exactly like my progressive glasses. 🤓

Question: have you tried one of the small contact applicators?

[patricepaschalisaac]

Doctor thank you for all the details, i wanna practicing doin that because I'm going to see my doc for the right fitting next week. Thank you and God bless this channel!!

[chillhandrolledicecream]

Thank you! Finally was able to take mine out after seeing your video.

[Codemantic]

two things I learned from this is looking down to grab the top eyelid helps a lot no one else says this, two I didn't know they could roll up and if I come across this I know what to do. I have tried for about 4 hours to get them in but I am determined to do it. once I can they will let me take them home

[Dorafran]

Thank you for this vid. You explained it all so well. But, I have a question. In inr close up of the eye, in that taking out part, the eye seems to be reddened a bit. Is this something normal for contacts wearers? I noticed that in my very early stages of trying to put in & out my contact lenses (I'm a newbie) my eye would get often irritated due to me, manipulating with the lens, or making multiple attempts of take in/out to get enough of skill to be able to do it within the first trial, but I assumed as I become skilled with it and its a one quick move, eyes will stay white and clear. So I'm a bit confused with this image. Am I to except my eyes often a bit of pinky just because of wearing contact daily?

[myateaindraykhine]

Hello! I just wear the contact lens for the first time. When my lens lay on my eyes, I can feel the contacts lens in on my eyes for like 1 hour. Is it normal for the beginners that feeling a bit uncomfortable ? I really scared wearing the contacts lens however I want to give it a try!! Thank you so much in advance.