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Insert & Remove Lenses

A closer look at handling contacts

The tips below give you a step by step approach to handling, inserting and removing contact lenses. Watch the video below to see exactly how to handle your contacts.

Inserting soft contact lenses

If you have never put contact lenses in before, it’s a good idea to drop in to your local OPSM store where a team member can show you how to do it. We offer free in-store contact lens trials, so you can experience them first hand.

  • Wash hands and dry them using a lint-free towel
  • Place the contact lens on the tip of your index finger (which should be no wetter than your eye or the contact lens) and tuck your other fingers out of the way
  • Look slightly across your nose in the mirror
  • Drag your bottom eyelid down with your middle finger
  • Place the contact lens on the sclera (white part of the eye) with the bottom edge of the contact lens touching first (the angle the contact lens is placed on your finger is crucial)
  • Press firmly and then release your eyelid
  • Massage the contact lens into place through the lids or blink a couple of times.

If you’re having trouble, try practising touching the white part of the eye without a contact lens a few times before inserting the lens. If you find that your contact lens is folding over, it means you are blinking before the contact lens has settled, in which case you may want to try holding your top eyelid too.

Once your lenses are in place, wipe their case with multi-purpose solution and leave it to air-dry. You should replace the case every three months.

Removing soft contact lenses

Packaging design may vary

As with inserting lenses, if it’s your first time, an OPSM team member will be happy to show you how.

  • Wash hands and dry them using a lint-free towel
  • Pull your lower eyelid down with your middle finger
  • Bend your head forward
  • Place the index finger of the same hand on the contact lens and slide it down onto the exposed sclera (white of the eye)
  • Pinch the contact lens off the eye, without squeezing it too hard, with your thumb and index finger
  • Clean and store the first contact lens before removing the second.