It happens to the best of us. You’re standing in front of the bathroom mirror at 11:00 PM, poking at your cornea, and realizing with a sudden jolt of adrenaline that your lens isn't moving. Or worse, it’s just... gone. You know it’s in there. You can feel that scratchy, "foreign body" sensation, but the little piece of silicone hydrogel has seemingly migrated to the back of your skull.
First thing: breathe.
Actually, the very first thing is to stop digging. I've seen people turn their eyes bloodshot-red by frantically clawing at their conjunctiva because they’re convinced the lens is going to get lost behind their eye. Here is the medical reality—it is physically impossible for a contact lens to slide behind your eye and get stuck in your brain. There’s a thin, moist lining called the conjunctiva that folds back to cover the inside of your eyelids. It creates a dead-end seal. Your lens is trapped in a cul-de-sac, not an open highway.
Learning how to get contacts out of eye when stuck is mostly a lesson in patience and lubrication. If you’re aggressive, you risk a corneal abrasion, which feels like a hot needle in your eye for 48 hours. Let’s avoid that.
The Dry Lens Trap: Why It’s Stuck in the First Place
Most "stuck" lenses are just dehydrated. Soft contact lenses are basically tiny sponges. When you stay up too late, stare at a computer screen without blinking, or fall asleep on the couch, the water content in the lens evaporates. The lens then suctions itself to your cornea.
If you try to peel a dry lens off a dry eye, it’s like trying to pull a sticker off wet paper. It’s going to tear, or it’s going to take a layer of your epithelium with it.
Step One: The Flood Method
Don't use tap water. I cannot stress this enough. Tap water contains Acanthamoeba, a nasty little parasite that loves to eat corneal tissue. Use sterile saline or multi-purpose contact lens solution. Heck, even rewetting drops specifically made for contacts are better.
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Flood the eye. Tilt your head back and put in three or four drops. Close your eye. Now, instead of rubbing, gently massage your eyelid in a circular motion. You’re trying to get that fluid underneath the edges of the lens to break the vacuum seal. Sometimes you’ll feel a literal "pop" or a shift in sensation when the lens starts floating again. If it doesn't move after the first try, wait two minutes and do it again.
When the Lens Has Migrated Under the Eyelid
This is the one that causes the most "lost lens" panic. You look in the mirror, the cornea is clear, but the eye feels like it’s being rubbed with sandpaper. The lens has likely folded over itself and tucked into the superior fornix—the space under your upper eyelid.
To find it, you need to look in the opposite direction of where you think it is.
If you feel it under the top lid, look down. While looking down, use your finger to gently press on the eyelid and "milk" the lens downward toward the center of the eye. It sounds gross. It feels weirder. But it works. If it’s tucked in the corner by your nose, look toward your ear.
Dr. Jennifer Lyerly, a prominent optometrist, often suggests the "double-flip" technique for patients who get lenses stuck frequently. Essentially, you use a Q-tip to gently evert (flip) the eyelid, but honestly, for most people at home, just looking down and massaging the lid is safer.
The Soft Lens vs. Hard Lens Approach
The strategy changes based on what you’re wearing.
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Soft Lenses: These are the most common. They get stuck because they dry out. Usually, the "add fluid and wait" method fixes 99% of cases. If the lens is centered but won't budge, try the "pinch" method only after the eye is well-lubricated. Use the pads of your thumb and forefinger—not the nails—to gently bunch the lens up. This breaks the suction.
Hard (RGP) Lenses: Rigid Gas Permeable lenses are a different beast. They don't suction because of dehydration; they suction because of fluid tension. If a hard lens is stuck on the "white" of your eye (the sclera), do NOT try to pinch it. You’ll just hurt yourself. Instead, use a specialized suction cup tool if you have one. If you don't, use the edge of your eyelid to "catch" the edge of the lens and gently nudge it back onto the cornea, where it’s supposed to sit, before removing it normally.
Dealing with the "Ghost" Lens Sensation
Sometimes, you get the lens out, but it still feels like it’s in there. This is incredibly common.
It’s called a foreign body sensation. Often, the process of trying to find the lens has caused a tiny scratch or just significant irritation. Your brain can't tell the difference between "there is a lens here" and "the spot where the lens was is now raw."
If you can see the lens in your case or on the floor, but your eye still hurts, stop touching it. Put in some preservative-free artificial tears and go to bed. If the pain is worse in the morning or your vision is blurry, that’s when you call the eye doc.
Common Mistakes That Make It Worse
- Using Fingernails: I’ve seen people try to "hook" the lens. You’re much more likely to hook your cornea. Use the pads of your fingers.
- Panicking and Rubbing: Rubbing a stuck lens can cause it to tear. A torn lens is a nightmare to get out because you’re then hunting for microscopic clear shards in a red, watery eye.
- Using "Redness Relief" Drops: Drops like Visine constrict blood vessels but don't actually lubricate the lens well. They can also contain preservatives that further irritate a stressed eye. Stick to saline.
When to Actually Worry
While a stuck lens is rarely a medical emergency, there are "red flags" that mean you should stop the DIY approach and head to an urgent care or your optometrist.
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- Extreme Pain: If the pain is sharp and persistent even when your eye is closed.
- Sudden Light Sensitivity: If turning on the bathroom light feels like a physical blow to the head.
- Cloudy Vision: If you take the lens out and everything looks like you’re underwater.
- Persistent Redness: If one eye is "stoplight red" and the other is fine.
Most eye doctors have an emergency line for this exact reason. Don't feel like you're bothering them. They'd much rather spend five minutes removing a lens with a specialized slit-lamp than two weeks treating an infected corneal ulcer because you used a pair of tweezers in your bathroom.
Prevention Is Easier Than Extraction
Honestly, most people get lenses stuck because they over-wear them. Your eyes need oxygen. When the lens gets old or dirty, the protein deposits make it "stickier."
If you find this is happening every week, talk to your doctor about switching to daily disposables. Dailies have a higher water content and are thinner, making them less likely to "suction" to the eye during a long day. Also, hydrate. If you’re dehydrated, your tear film is the first thing to suffer, and your lenses will pay the price.
Actionable Next Steps
If you have a lens stuck right now, follow this sequence:
- Wash your hands thoroughly with soap and dry them with a lint-free towel.
- Dump 5 drops of saline into the eye.
- Close your eye and wait 60 seconds. Do not touch it.
- Look in all four directions (up, down, left, right) to see if the movement of the eye shifts the lens.
- Massage the eyelid very gently to move the lens toward the center.
- Use the pads of your fingers to try a gentle pinch only once the lens is visible on the iris.
Once the lens is out, leave it out. Give your eyes a "glasses day" to recover. The cornea is one of the fastest-healing parts of the human body, but it needs air and rest to do its job.