How to Remove a Broken Contact Lens
Wash your hands., Find a mirror and hold your eye open., Remove larger pieces., Move your eye around to locate smaller pieces., Flush your eye to get rid of any remaining pieces., Visit your eye doctor if you have difficulty.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Wash your hands.
Before attempting to remove a broken lens, make sure to wash your hands well.
Wash them for thirty seconds, and make sure to remove any dirt or oils under your fingernails.
Dry them with a lint-free towel.Use a soap that is free from perfumes to reduce the risk of irritation. -
Step 2: Find a mirror and hold your eye open.
Get close to a mirror and use your thumb to hold your lower eyelid open and your index finger to hold your upper eyelid open.
Try to locate the bits of contact lens in your eye with your other seeing eye.
You might need a helper to direct you, especially if your eyesight prevents you from clearly seeing the lens fragments.Your helper should stick to giving direction and should not put their fingers in your eye or attempt to remove it themselves. , Remove any large or easy to find pieces first as you would an intact lens.
Move these pieces to the white of your eye.
Carefully pinch them with the tips of your thumb and index finger (don't use your nails).Don’t throw any pieces away.
Keep them in your contact lens case so they can help you determine if you’ve located and removed all fragments from your eye. , Carefully move your eye up and down and side to side in order to locate smaller pieces.
Try to hold your eyelids open as widely as possible in order to avoid scratching the surface of your eye.
Small, jagged fragments might cause damage if they rub in between your eyelid or fingers and eye surface, so be very gentle in removing them., Check the label of your contact lens disinfectant to ensure that it’s safe to use for flushing your eye, or saline eye drops if you have them handy.
Flush your eye with the solution, and try to let the liquid guide any remaining tiny pieces out of your eye.
Continue to hold your eyelids wide open to let the solution and any leftover fragments drip out from your eye and socket.You may still feel like you have pieces stuck in your eye, since the fragments could have caused irritation.
Use the pieces that you recovered and stored in your lens case to try to judge whether or not any pieces actually remain., If you’re unable to remove lens fragments using pinching or flushing techniques, you might have to visit your eye doctor.
Making a quick visit to the doctor might seem like a hassle, but it’s certainly preferable to doing yourself harm by trying to get the broken lens out yourself.
Your doctor will have more sensitive tools than you have at your disposal, and will more than likely be able to quickly and easily remove the pieces for you.See your doctor right away if your lens has scratched your eye. -
Step 3: Remove larger pieces.
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Step 4: Move your eye around to locate smaller pieces.
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Step 5: Flush your eye to get rid of any remaining pieces.
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Step 6: Visit your eye doctor if you have difficulty.
Detailed Guide
Before attempting to remove a broken lens, make sure to wash your hands well.
Wash them for thirty seconds, and make sure to remove any dirt or oils under your fingernails.
Dry them with a lint-free towel.Use a soap that is free from perfumes to reduce the risk of irritation.
Get close to a mirror and use your thumb to hold your lower eyelid open and your index finger to hold your upper eyelid open.
Try to locate the bits of contact lens in your eye with your other seeing eye.
You might need a helper to direct you, especially if your eyesight prevents you from clearly seeing the lens fragments.Your helper should stick to giving direction and should not put their fingers in your eye or attempt to remove it themselves. , Remove any large or easy to find pieces first as you would an intact lens.
Move these pieces to the white of your eye.
Carefully pinch them with the tips of your thumb and index finger (don't use your nails).Don’t throw any pieces away.
Keep them in your contact lens case so they can help you determine if you’ve located and removed all fragments from your eye. , Carefully move your eye up and down and side to side in order to locate smaller pieces.
Try to hold your eyelids open as widely as possible in order to avoid scratching the surface of your eye.
Small, jagged fragments might cause damage if they rub in between your eyelid or fingers and eye surface, so be very gentle in removing them., Check the label of your contact lens disinfectant to ensure that it’s safe to use for flushing your eye, or saline eye drops if you have them handy.
Flush your eye with the solution, and try to let the liquid guide any remaining tiny pieces out of your eye.
Continue to hold your eyelids wide open to let the solution and any leftover fragments drip out from your eye and socket.You may still feel like you have pieces stuck in your eye, since the fragments could have caused irritation.
Use the pieces that you recovered and stored in your lens case to try to judge whether or not any pieces actually remain., If you’re unable to remove lens fragments using pinching or flushing techniques, you might have to visit your eye doctor.
Making a quick visit to the doctor might seem like a hassle, but it’s certainly preferable to doing yourself harm by trying to get the broken lens out yourself.
Your doctor will have more sensitive tools than you have at your disposal, and will more than likely be able to quickly and easily remove the pieces for you.See your doctor right away if your lens has scratched your eye.
About the Author
Jessica Stevens
A passionate writer with expertise in hobbies topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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