Panic is usually the first thing that hits. You're standing in front of the bathroom mirror, poking at a reddened eye, and realize that the thin piece of silicone that's supposed to be on your iris is... gone. But you didn't see it fall out. Now you’re wondering, will a stuck contact eventually come out, or is it currently migrating toward your brain?
Let’s kill the biggest myth right now: a contact lens cannot get lost behind your eye. It is physically impossible. There is a membrane called the conjunctiva that folds over and connects the back of your eyelids to the white of your eye (the sclera). It creates a dead-end seal. Nothing is getting past that barrier. So, take a breath. You aren't headed for emergency brain surgery.
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The short answer is yes, a stuck contact will eventually come out. Your eye is a self-cleaning machine. It wants that foreign object gone just as much as you do. But "eventually" can be a frustratingly long time if you're uncomfortable, and how it comes out depends entirely on where it’s hiding and how dry your eyes are.
The Physics of Why It Stays Stuck
Most of the time, a lens gets "lost" because it has folded over and tucked itself under the upper eyelid. This usually happens if you rub your eyes too hard or if the lens is excessively dry. When the lens loses its moisture, it loses its lubricity. It stops sliding and starts gripping.
The suction can be surprisingly strong. Think of a wet piece of plastic wrap on a glass window. If there's a thin layer of fluid, it slides. If it dries out, it bonds. Your eye works the same way. The cornea is highly sensitive—it has more nerve endings per square millimeter than almost anywhere else in the body—so even a tiny speck of dust feels like a boulder. A folded lens feels like a literal shard of glass.
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Will a Stuck Contact Eventually Come Out on Its Own?
Gravity and tears are your best friends here. Even if you do absolutely nothing, your eye will produce "reflex tears." These are different from the basal tears that keep your eyes moist daily; these are the heavy-duty floods meant to wash out irritants.
Eventually, the constant blinking and tear production will lubricate the lens enough that it slides down from the fornix (the pocket under the eyelid). It might take twenty minutes. It might take eight hours. I’ve heard stories from optometrists who have had patients come in months later, only for a shriveled, yellowed lens to finally pop out during an exam. That's rare, but it happens because the eye's natural movement is always pushing things "out" toward the corners.
What if it’s stuck to the cornea?
This is a different beast. If the lens is sitting right where it's supposed to be but won't budge, it’s likely dehydrated. This is common with "extended wear" lenses or if you fell asleep in your disposables. Do not, under any circumstances, try to peel a dry lens off your cornea with your fingernails. You risk taking a layer of corneal epithelium with it. That leads to a corneal abrasion, which is incredibly painful and opens the door for infections like Pseudomonas aeruginosa.
Steps to Coax the Lens Out Safely
Before you start digging, wash your hands. This sounds basic, but the amount of bacteria on your phone or doorknob is enough to turn a minor lens mishap into a full-blown case of keratitis.
The Blink and Flush Method: Use a generous amount of preservative-free saline or rewetting drops. Don't use tap water. Tap water contains Acanthamoeba, a parasite that loves to eat eye tissue. Flood the eye. Then, close your eyes and gently—very gently—massage the upper lid in a circular motion. Look down toward your nose while you do this.
The Eyelid Flip: This is what the pros do. If you suspect the lens is under the upper lid, grab your eyelashes and gently pull the lid forward and down over the lower lid. This can sometimes "hook" the lens and drag it into view.
Inversion: If you can see the edge of the lens, use the pad of your finger (not the nail) to slide it toward the white of your eye. It’s much easier to pinch and remove a lens from the sclera than from the sensitive cornea.
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Why Does My Eye Still Feel Scratchy?
Here is the "phantom lens" phenomenon. You might have actually successfully removed the lens—maybe it fell into the sink while you weren't looking—but your eye still feels like there’s a porcupine in it.
This happens because the lens may have caused a tiny scratch or simply irritated the nerves. The sensation of a "foreign body" is a primary symptom of a corneal scratch. If you’ve been flushing and poking for an hour and still feel something, stop. You might be making it worse. If the lens is truly gone and the sensation persists, you’ve likely just irritated the surface.
When to Call the Optometrist
You should stop being a DIY surgeon if you experience any of the following:
- Persistent redness that doesn't go away after an hour.
- Cloudy or blurred vision.
- Extreme sensitivity to light (photophobia).
- A "curtain" or shadow over your vision.
- Pain that feels deep or throbbing.
An eye doctor has a slit-lamp microscope. They can flip your eyelid with a cotton swab and find a lens in three seconds that you’ve been hunting for three hours. They also have specialized dyes, like fluorescein, which glow under blue light. This dye highlights exactly where the lens is—or shows the scratches left behind if the lens is already out.
Actionable Next Steps for the "Lost" Lens
If you are currently reading this with one eye squinted and a finger in the other:
- Stop rubbing. You are likely folding the lens further back or scratching your cornea.
- Hydrate the eye. Use saline drops every 5 minutes for the next half hour.
- Change your environment. If you're in a room with a ceiling fan or A/C blowing directly on you, move. Dry air makes the lens stickier.
- Check the floor. Seriously. Half the time, the lens isn't in the eye; it’s stuck to your cheek, your shirt, or the bathroom counter.
- Use a mirror with a magnifying side. Bright light is your friend here. Look as far in every direction as possible—up, down, left, right—while holding your lids open.
- If it’s still stuck after two hours of trying, go to an urgent care or your eye doctor. It’s a 10-minute fix for them, and it beats a weekend of unnecessary pain.
The lens will come out. The anatomy of your eye ensures it has nowhere else to go. Stay calm, keep it wet, and let your body's natural defenses do most of the heavy lifting.