How to Put In and Take Out Your Contact Lenses: Every Method That Works

There's something funny about putting in contact lenses for the first time. You know exactly what to do, your finger gets close to your eye, and your brain completely takes over. That blink reflex is no joke.

It does get easier though - most people are comfortable with it within a few days. Whether you're putting in contact lenses for the first time or just looking for a better method, this guide covers everything: how to put your lenses in, every way to take them out, what to do with long nails, and what to do if one feels stuck and won't budge.

Before you start

A few quick rules that make a huge difference, no matter which method you go with:

Wash your hands properly. Give them a real scrub, and don't forget under your nails - that's where bacteria love to hide, and the last thing you want is any of that near your eyes. For drying: a clean hand towel or paper towel both work. Skip the tissue though. Why? It breaks apart when you wipe and the little fibres stick to your fingers, which then end up on your lens. Same goes for any towel that's gone fluffy - that fluff transfers just the same.

If these are new lenses, soak them before you wear them. The solution they arrive in is a strong storage solution made for shipping, not for your eyes. Take them out of the blister pack, pop them into your own multipurpose solution, and leave them for at least a few hours. Overnight is even better. Skipping this step is honestly one of the most common reasons new wearers find lenses uncomfortable on the first try.

Quick check before you put them in your eyes. Have a look for any tiny rips or tears. And check the lens is the right way around - it should sit like a smooth bowl on your finger. If the edges flare out like a saucer, flip it gently. That means it's inside out.

How to put in contact lenses

There are 5 steps to putting your lenses in. There's also a tip right at the start that makes everything easier - don't skip it, it genuinely changes things for most people.

Step 1 - Do a practice run first (no lens yet)

Before you even pick up the lens, practice gently touching the white of your eye with a clean dry finger. No lens - just your fingertip. Your eye will probably react the first time, that's completely normal. Do it a few times until it stops flinching. What you're doing is training your eye to accept being touched, which turns down the automatic blink. The blink is what catches most people out - not the actual technique. This one step alone makes a huge difference.

Step 2 - Pick up the lens the right way

Make sure your fingertip is dry before you pick the lens up. Tip it from the blister pack onto your dry finger - do it over a flat, clean surface so if it falls you can find it easily. Then give it a gentle shake to get any excess solution off before it goes near your eye.

If the lens keeps clinging to your finger and won't transfer to your eye, there's too much moisture on the finger, the lens, or both. Pat your finger dry and try again. Just don't shake so hard you lose it - lenses are surprisingly good at hiding.

Step 3 - Hold your eyelid open

Use your other hand to hold your upper eyelid open so you physically can't blink. Then use the middle finger of the hand holding the lens to pull your lower eyelid down. Most people only pull the lower lid, and that works fine. But depending on your eye shape, holding both lids gives you a much clearer runway. If you have lash extensions especially, holding the upper lid out of the way makes the whole thing a lot less fiddly - the lashes can get in the way and knock the lens. Use whichever fingers feel natural. The goal is just an open, clear path for the lens to reach your eye.

Step 4 - Place the lens on your eye

Look straight ahead or very slightly upward, then gently bring the lens to the centre of your eye and place it down slowly. Release your eyelids slowly - don't just let them snap shut. Close your eye for a second, then blink gently a few times.

Step 5 - Look around before you blink

Once the lens is on your eye, don't blink straight away. Look around first - up, down, side to side. This gives the lens a chance to fully settle into place before your lids press down on it. A lot of people blink too quickly and the lens hasn't seated properly yet, which is why things feel off or slightly blurry. Give it a moment, look around, then blink. If your vision is still a little blurry after blinking, blink a few more times and look down. It clears as the lens settles in.

Nancy Lopez wearing Otaku Lenses in Smokey Greyyen - 5 ways to put in contact lenses

A few extra tips:

Relax your face and breathe. Tensing up makes your eyes water, and watery eyes make everything harder. Take a breath, loosen your shoulders, and go slowly.

Put your lenses in before you get dressed. That way you don't get product, fibres, or deodorant on your fingers right before you handle the lens.

Can't stop blinking when something comes near the centre of your eye? Try this: look to the side so the white of your eye is more exposed, and place the lens there instead. Then slowly look back the other way - the lens slides over the iris and centres itself. A lot of people find this much easier than going straight for the centre.

Prefer a flat mirror? Lay a mirror on the table and lean over it looking down. It changes the angle completely and keeps things steady. Some people swear by it.

5 ways to take out your contact lenses

Everyone's eyes and fingers are shaped a bit differently, so there's no single "correct" way to do this. Play around with a few styles and stick to whatever feels easiest for you.

One thing that applies to all of them: don't wait until your eyes feel dry to do something about it. Your eyes will usually let you know when they're starting to dry out. If you've been staring at a screen for hours, if the heater or AC is blasting, or if you're just tired-that's your cue to reach for eye drops before the lens starts sticking to your eye. Trying to pinch out a bone-dry lens is super uncomfortable and can scratch your cornea, which is the last thing you want. I always keep a small bottle of rewetting drops in my bag for exactly this reason.

Once they're out, clean your lenses properly before storing them. Put the lens in the palm of your hand, pour some fresh solution over it, and rub it gently in circles - both sides. Then flush it with fresh solution a couple of times and change the solution in the case too. You'd be surprised what comes off. Always fresh solution in the case, never reuse what's already in there.

Method 1: Removal tool

Lens tweezers look like small tongs with soft padded tips - nothing like the metal tweezers you'd find in a makeup bag. The tips are coated so they're gentle on the lens and your eye. You use them to grip the edge of the lens and lift it away, no fingernails involved.

Hold your lids open, look straight ahead, bring the tips to the edge of the lens, gently grip, and lift.

This is a total lifesaver if you have long acrylics, or if you just hate the idea of touching your eyeball with your bare fingers.

Method 2: Two-finger pinch

Use the soft pads of your index and middle finger - not the tips, the fleshy part. Look up slightly, pull your lower lid down, and gently squeeze the lens with both fingers at once. It folds slightly and lifts away.

Method 3: Thumb-and-finger pinch

Pull your lower lid down, look up, and pinch the lens gently between your thumb and index finger. This is the one most people settle on long term.

Do you always need to slide the lens to the white first?

Not always. Plenty of experienced wearers just pinch the lens directly without sliding it down first, and that's completely fine. Where sliding helps - especially if you're just starting out - is that the white of your eye is less sensitive than the area over the iris, so touching there triggers less of a blink reflex. If you keep flinching when you go to pinch, try moving the lens down to the white first and gripping it there. It's easier to get hold of and tends to feel more comfortable.

Method 4: Slide to white, then pinch

Pull your lower lid down and look up. Use a finger to gently slide the lens down off the coloured part and onto the white of your eye. Once it's sitting there, pinch it up with two fingers or thumb-and-finger and lift away.

This is a great backup technique to keep in your back pocket for those days when a lens is acting stubborn or your eyes are tired.

Method 5: Slide and fold

This one isn't talked about as much but it works really well. Slide the lens all the way down to the lower white of your eye until it starts to fold in on itself. Once it folds, it's much easier to grip - you're picking up a small folded disc instead of trying to pinch a flat lens. Gently squeeze it between two fingers and it lifts right off.

Try this if the standard pinch feels too slippery-it's a lot easier to grab a folded edge than a flat lens.

How to take out contact lenses with long nails

Short nails do make it easier, but plenty of people wear contacts with long nails including gel and acrylics-it's totally doable once you get the hang of it.

The contact lens removal tool is the easiest option here. Because the tool does all the work, nail length doesn't matter at all. Keep one with your lens case and it becomes a non-issue.

If you'd rather use your fingers, the two-finger method works better than the thumb-and-finger with longer nails because you're using the pads instead of the tips. A couple of things that help: turn your finger slightly sideways so the nail isn't the part making contact, and look up and slightly to the side to give yourself more white space to work with.

If your contact lens gets stuck - here's why, and how to remove a stuck contact lens

First - a contact lens cannot go behind your eye. The membrane lining your eyelids is sealed. There's nowhere for it to go. If one feels lost, it hasn't disappeared anywhere dangerous, it's just moved to the side or gotten dry.

The most common reason a lens feels stuck is dry eyes. Dry eyes are usually caused by a few things: screen time is a big one - when you stare at a screen you blink less without realising it, and blinking is what keeps your eyes lubricated, so a few hours of that and your lens starts to dry out and cling. Air conditioning is another - it pulls moisture from the air and from your eyes at the same time. And just general tiredness - at the end of a long day your eyes produce fewer tears naturally, so the lens has less to work with.

Before anything else, add rewetting drops, close your eye for a moment, then blink and look around in different directions. Most stuck lenses sort themselves out once there's enough moisture.

If you can see it but it won't lift, slide it to the white of your eye first - it's much easier to grip there. This is also where a contact lens removal tool really earns its keep - the soft padded tips grip the edge of the lens without any fingernail near your eye, which makes a stuck lens much less stressful to deal with.

If it still won't come out after all of that, give your eyes a rest and try again later. If your eye is red or sore, go see an optometrist. Don't keep trying to force it.

What about how do doctors remove a stuck contact lens? An optometrist has a slit lamp to locate the lens and small instruments to guide it to where they can grip it. It's completely routine for them. If you need to go, just go.

A few extra tips for coloured lenses

Check if your lens is inside out before every wear. A lens that's inside out usually still goes in, but it won't feel right - slightly uncomfortable, a bit like it wants to pop out. It should look like a smooth bowl on your finger, not a saucer. We have a guide on how to tell if your lens is inside out with photos if you want to check.

Lenses go in before makeup, and come out before makeup removal. Every time. We've covered the full reasoning in our post on lenses or makeup - which comes first.

FAQ

How long does it take to learn to put in contact lenses?

Most people get comfortable within a few days. The first time almost always feels clumsy - that's normal. By the end of the first week most people can do it without much fuss. Some people get it on the first try.

How do you put in contact lenses without blinking?

You can't fully turn off the blink reflex, but you can reduce it. Practice touching your open eye with a clean dry finger first - just the white of the eye, no lens. Do it a few times until your eye stops reacting. That alone makes a huge difference. Looking slightly up and placing the lens on the white instead of straight at the centre also helps a lot.

How do you put in coloured contact lenses?

Same method as any soft lens - the colour is just a print on the lens itself. The only extra thing to check with coloured lenses is the inside out orientation, since the pattern can sometimes make it harder to see at a glance. The bowl vs saucer test on your fingertip always works.

What is a contact lens removal tool?

Lens tweezers are small tongs with soft padded tips - not like regular metal tweezers. They grip the edge of the lens gently so you can lift it away without your fingers touching your eye. Cheap, easy to find, and really useful if you have longer nails or just prefer not to pinch with your fingers.

Note: these are different from a lens applicator, which is a separate tool - a small silicone suction cup used to help put lenses in. That one sticks to the lens so you can transfer to your eye without it clinging to your finger. Both are handy, just different jobs. You can get both in one kit here: Otaku Lenses applicator and removal kit.

How do you take out contact lenses without touching your eye?

Use a contact lens removal tool. That's exactly what it's for. If you'd rather not use a tool, the two-finger slide method is the next best thing - you slide the lens to the white of the eye before pinching, so you're not touching the sensitive iris area at all.

How do you take out contact lenses with long nails?

A removal tool is the easiest option. If using your fingers, the two-finger method with the soft pads works better than using your fingertips. Turning your finger slightly sideways so the nail isn't in the way is another thing that helps.

Is it normal for a contact lens to feel stuck?

Yes. It's almost always dry eyes. Use rewetting drops, blink a few times, and move your eyes around. If it's happening regularly, try using drops during the day before your eyes get too dry.

How do doctors remove a stuck contact lens?

They use a slit lamp to find the lens and a small instrument to guide it to where they can grip it. It's completely routine. If you've tried everything and it won't come out, just go and see them.

Written by Yen, founder of Billionaire Beauties and Otaku Lenses. I've been helping people wear coloured contact lenses comfortably since 2015.