It’s a terrifying sensation. You go to rub your eye or take your lens out at the end of a long day, and suddenly, it’s gone. You look in the mirror, peel your eyelid back, and see nothing but white. Your mind immediately goes to the worst-case scenario: is it stuck in my brain? Is it sliding back into my skull?
Stop. Breathe.
First off, let’s kill the biggest myth in optometry. Your contact lens cannot go behind your eye. It is physically impossible. There is a thin, moist lining called the conjunctiva that covers the white of your eye and folds back to line the inside of your eyelids. This creates a sealed pouch. Think of it like a pocket in a pair of jeans—nothing is getting through the bottom of that pocket into your leg. The same applies here. If you’re freaking out about how to get your contact out from behind your eye, just know it’s actually just tucked deep into a fold of that tissue. It’s still in the "front," technically.
Why does this happen anyway?
Usually, it’s a combination of dry eyes and bad luck. When your eyes get parched—maybe you’ve been staring at a computer screen for eight hours or you’re in a room with the AC blasting—the lens loses its lubrication. It gets "tacky." Then, you rub your eye a little too hard, and the lens folds over on itself like a tiny taco. Once it’s folded, it loses the suction that keeps it centered on your cornea and slides up under the upper lid or down into the lower crevice.
Some people have deeper "pockets" (the fornix) than others. If you have deep-set eyes, that lens can really hide. But it’s there. I promise.
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The step-by-step to finding a lost lens
Don't just start digging. Seriously. If you go in with dry fingers and a panicked mindset, you’re going to scratch your cornea, and that hurts way more than a lost contact.
Wash your hands. This sounds obvious, but when people panic, they forget. Use a mild soap, avoid anything with heavy perfumes or oils that will sting, and dry your hands with a lint-free towel. You don't want a piece of fuzz getting stuck back there too.
Now, you need to rehydrate. Flood the eye. Grab your saline solution or some preservative-free artificial tears. Don't use tap water. Tap water is a breeding ground for Acanthamoeba, a nasty parasite that can cause permanent vision loss. Just use the drops. Put three or four drops in, close your eye, and gently massage the lid. This often lubricates the lens enough to let it slide back into view.
The "Look Away" Trick
If the lens is stuck under the upper lid—which is where 90% of "lost" lenses end up—try this. Look as far down as you can toward your chest. While looking down, use your finger to gently press on the top of your eyelid and massage in a downward motion. You’re trying to coax the lens to unfold and move toward the center.
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If it’s under the bottom lid, do the opposite. Look up at the ceiling. Pull your lower lid down and see if you can spot the edge of the lens.
Flip the lid (If you're brave)
Sometimes you have to get aggressive, but in a gentle way. This is the eversion technique. You can actually flip your upper eyelid inside out. It feels weird, but it doesn't hurt. Take a Q-tip, place it horizontally across the middle of your upper lid, grab your eyelashes, and gently pull the lid up and over the Q-tip. This exposes the entire upper fornix. If the lens is there, you’ll see it immediately. You can then use a drop of saline to flush it out or gently grab it with a clean finger.
What if you can't see it?
Here’s the thing: sometimes the lens isn’t there at all.
I’ve seen patients spend forty minutes fishing around their eye, causing massive irritation, only to realize the lens fell out onto the sink or their shirt twenty minutes ago. The problem is that a scratched cornea (a corneal abrasion) feels exactly like a contact lens is stuck in your eye. Your brain gets a "foreign body sensation" signal and won't shut it up.
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If you’ve flushed the eye, flipped the lid, and looked everywhere, and you still feel like something is there, stop. Give it an hour. If the feeling persists or your eye gets red and light-sensitive, you might have scratched it, or the lens might be folded so tightly it's hard to see.
When to see an Optometrist
You aren't failing at life if you can't get it out. Even "pros" get lenses stuck. If you've tried the massage and the drops and you still feel the "ghost" of the lens, call your eye doctor. They have a slit lamp—a high-powered microscope—and they can find a hidden lens in about four seconds. They can also use a yellow dye called fluorescein to check for scratches.
Watch for these red flags:
- Vision is suddenly blurry and stays that way.
- The eye is "beefy" red.
- Extreme pain when you blink.
- Yellow or green discharge.
Honestly, if it’s been a few hours and you’re still poking at your eye, you're doing more harm than good. A quick trip to the urgent care or your eye doc is worth the peace of mind. They see this literally every single day. You aren't the first person to "lose" a lens, and you won't be the last.
Practical tips for the future
To stop this from becoming a recurring nightmare, look at your hydration. If your eyes are chronically dry, your lenses will migrate. Talk to your doctor about switching to a daily disposable lens if you aren't on them already; they tend to stay "wetter" for longer periods. Also, stop rubbing your eyes! It’s bad for your corneas anyway (it can lead to a condition called keratoconus over time), but it's the primary reason lenses go on a field trip behind your lids.
Actionable Next Steps:
- Stop poking. If the eye is irritated, every touch makes the swelling worse, making the lens harder to find.
- Flood the eye with saline. This is the most effective way to "float" a folded lens back to the center.
- Check the floor. Use a flashlight to scan the area around where you were standing. Lenses are transparent and sneaky.
- Use a mirror with high magnification. Most people miss the lens because they are looking through one eye that might not be seeing clearly.
- Sleep on it (maybe). If the eye isn't painful, just "scratchy," go to sleep. Often, the natural lubrication produced during sleep will shift the lens, and you'll find it in the corner of your eye when you wake up.