Removing a Contact Lens:

• Wash Your Hands: Your first step will be to wash your hands with soap and water.
• Moisten the Contact Lens:
  • Place several drops of saline into the eye.
  • You may need to repeat this in 5 minutes. (Reason: hydrates soft contacts; helps lubricate and float soft and hard contacts)

Removing a Soft Contact Lens:

• Look upwards.
• Pull down your lower eyelid with your middle finger.
• Touch contact lens with your index finger and slide the lens downwards to the lower white part of your eye.
• Gently pinch the contact lens between your thumb and index finger and remove it from your eye.

Removing a Hard Contact Lens - Blink Method:

• Pull outwards on the skin at the corner of the eye (Right index finger for right eye; left index finger for left eye).
• Cup your other hand under the eye to catch the contact lens.
• Blink several times.

Removing a Hard Contact Lens - Plunger Method:

• Use a contact lens "plunger" to remove the contact lens.
• If you do not have one, you can get one at a local pharmacy. This is a small flexible plastic tool that has a suction cup on it.

Call Your Doctor If:

• Unable to remove the contact lens
• Pain or foreign body sensation lasts more than 2 hours after removing the contact lens.
• You become worse.

And remember, contact your doctor if you develop any of the "Call Your Doctor" symptoms.