Hey everyone. If you’ve clicked on this video then I guess you’re probably having some trouble
with either putting your contact lenses in or you just want to
be prepared for your upcoming contact lens appointment with your eye doctor.
So today, in this tutorial Andy and I will be teaching you 3 different ways to put in
your soft contact lenses without scratching and damaging your eyes.
I am going to do a right handed version since I’m right handed and
Andy here will be doing a left handed version since he’s left handed.
This video is a great tool to help you at home, but in no way is it meant to replace
an initial proper contact lens tutorial with your eye doctor because they are
actually there watching you and can provide you with feedback to your technique in real time.
Before we start, find a spot in your house that gives you access to a mirror and ideally some
countertop space so that if you do drop your lenses it’s not going to drop on the floor.
Your bathroom should be the ideal spot since it also gives you access to a sink to wash your hands
and you contact lens case. It might be a good idea to also plug in your sink, in case your
lens falls down the drain. For today though I’ll be doing it here since it’s easier to show you.
If you’re doing this in the morning while prepping to go out, you want
to make sure you put your lenses in before touching any of your creams or cosmetics.
That will make sure you don’t get those oily substances transferring to your lenses which
could make them feel uncomfortable in the eye or cause blurriness.
If you have long fingernails it may be more difficult to insert the lenses,
so consider cutting them shorter. I always suggest new contact lens wearers to have shorter nails
so that they don’t end up poking their eyes when putting them in. Having short nails also makes
it easier to remove your lenses as well, but I'll talk more on that later.
As always we need to make sure that your hands are thoroughly washed with soap and water,
then, drying them with a lint-free towel. This is so you don’t get any fluff stuck on them, because
the fluff can be transferred from your hands to your lens to your eye, which can be uncomfortable.
Now let’s take the lenses out of the packaging.
Apply a slow firm amount of pressure.
You don’t need to yank it open, just gently do it so the contents doesn’t explode everywhere.
Look into the packaging, you might see the lens as they have a slightly bluish tinge.
There are two ways to get the lens out. The first way is to scoop it out with your fingers. This is
my preferred method for newer contact lens wearers who may need multiple attempts of putting the lens
into their eye as it allows you to save the solution, in case you drop the lens or you
get dust on them, you have an easy way to rinse the lens. This is particularly important if you
are wearing daily disposables and don’t have a separate bottle of disinfecting solution.
The second way of getting the contact lens out
is to tip everything out onto the palm of your hands and search for the lens.
Once you got it out, place it on the tip of your index fingers of your dominant hand.
I’m a rightey so I’ll have it on my right finger. With handling the contact lens,
always maneuver using your fingers like so. If you want to transfer the lens from one hand to another
try to scoop the lens using one finger. You can also gently hold onto the edge of the lens.
Here's another perspective. In this example you can see I'm trying to get the lens from my palm
to my finger and to the other hand. This is how I do it to minimise handling.
Next, you should always check your lens to make sure it’s not damaged and also not inside out
before you put it in. There are a few ways to do this, first way, lift the lens up to eye level,
we want to see is the lens looking like a shape of a bowl, so the edges of the lens are
pointing straight up. If the lens is inside out, the edges will spray out like a saucer.
If you pinch the lens from the side, the edges should fold in looking like a taco.
If it’s the wrong way around, the edges fold out which looks like a failed taco.
If you’re still confused about these methods, just go ahead and put the lens in. If it's inserted
the wrong way, you will be able to see, but it won’t feel comfortable. If that’s the case, just
take it out, double check nothing is stuck on the lens, flip it inside out, rewet it and try again.
On to the fun bit. As I mentioned, I’m right handed, all the lefties out there you can
either still follow along and think of me as your mirror image or you can skip ahead to the
left handed version. So we’re going to do the right eye first since that’s what I conventionally do.
I just think it's easier, right hand, right eye. But if you’re more comfortable with your
other eye first, go for it. Just make sure you always start with the same eye each time,
as this will help prevent you from getting the wrong lens into the wrong eye.
We are going to go through a few ways of doing this,
so if the first way doesn’t work, don’t stress.
So, start with the lens on your index finger on your right hand.
Now you’re going to use the middle finger of your left hand to lift the top eyelid out of the way.
Try and get your fingers as close to the lash line as possible, this will help direct your lashes out
of the way. This is VERY important. I find that a lot of new contact lens wearers lose the grip
dropping the eyelid in this step and what happens is that the lens will touch their lids on the way
in and will cause the lens to fold. If you have lashes like mine that naturally point downwards,
it’s even more important to lift the lids up as far as possible, and you can also
try and scoop the contact lens underneath the lashes before placing it onto the eyes.
To get a good grip always make sure your middle fingers are dry.
Next, the middle finger of your right hand will lower the bottom eyelid.
Pull down as far as you can to give the lens as much space to get into the eye.
While you do this make sure you haven’t dropped the top lid, as this is very common for beginners.
Now looking at yourself in the mirror, gently position the contact lens onto
the centre of the eye. Make sure the lens is parallel to your eye. Because if it’s
angled the contact lens won’t suction to the eye but get stuck onto your finger
So if we do it smoothly in real time it looks like this.
Once you get the lens in, before you blink, look up, down, left and right first so that the lens has
time to centre and get rid of any air bubbles that may have formed due to non-perfect contact
between the lens and your eye. If you blink too quickly before this step and there is
an air bubble in the lens, you might blink the lens out, causing you to have to start again.
Once you’ve performed this, take a few slow blinks so that the lens can fully centre itself;
don’t worry, the lens is made to centre on your eye, so it’s not going to get lost behind your eye.
For the other side you do the exact same thing. Most important point is don’t change hands,
I see people do this and they become really uncoordinated. You still use your dominant
hand to hold the contact, lifting your top lids with your non dominant middle finger,
then with your dominant hand, also using the middle finger,
lower the bottom eyelid, then gently place the contact lens on your eye.
Now I’ll show you the left handed version of this, for right handed people
you can also use me as your mirror image. We’re going to start with your left eye first.
Bring your right hand middle finger over the top and lift the left upper eyelid up,
make sure you have a firm grip from the lash line. Then bring your left hand middle finger to
lower the bottom eyelid and bring the contact lens on your index finger onto the centre of the eye.
If you got the lens in good job! If not, here is method 2.
If you find it difficult putting the lens in the centre of the eyes,
another way is to put the contact lens onto the white part of the eye,
also known as the conjunctiva. Remember you’re still be using your non-dominant hand’s middle
finger to lift the top eyelid and dominant hand middle finger to lower the bottom eye lid.
You will need to angle your head towards the ear that’s on the same side as the eye you’re
putting the lens in, and direct your gaze towards your nose, looking at your eyes in the mirror.
Then put the lens onto the white part of your eyes that’s exposed closest to your ears. This allows
you to see what you’re doing without getting a big finger right in front of your eyes.
The third method you can try is directing your head down, looking up towards the mirror and
placing the lens on the white part towards the bottom of your eye. And again remember
your dominant hand is always the one on the bottom with the contact lens on the finger.
There isn’t a ‘best’ way to do it, but go with the method that feels the most comfortable for you.
The methods that we recommended are for beginners and in time you’ll have your own way of doing it.
I find that at times, either due to the shape of your eyes or how far you can hold your lids apart,
one method may not work but another will. If you have another way of inserting your contact lenses,
we would love to hear about it in the comments section below.
When you first start out it’s going to take you some time to get the hang
of it, so don’t be discouraged. Practice is the key and make sure you give yourself
plenty of time to do it before you head out so you don’t feel rushed.
If you’re using reusable contact lenses, now is the time to clean your contact lens case. Now
you can go ahead and do the rest of your face/makeup routine or just head on out.
Now that you’ve managed to put the contact lenses in you’ll also need to learn how to take them out.
We have a video showing you 3 different techniques to remove your lenses, just click on the link
that’s going to be somewhere on this screen here. If you enjoyed this video please give us a thumbs up and subscribe so
you know when we release new videos answering your common eye questions. Thanks for watching, bye!