Wearing contact lenses for the first time: a beginner's guide

Contact lenses give you clear vision without frames, which is handy for sports, humid days, or simply a change of look. The first few tries can feel awkward, but almost everyone gets the hang of it within a week. Here is how to start the right way.

Get fitted before you buy

Contact lenses are not one-size. Your eye has a specific size and curve, and your prescription for contacts often differs from your glasses grade. A fitting measures your eyes, checks that a lens sits well and lets in enough oxygen, and confirms your eyes are healthy enough for lens wear. Skipping this step is the most common beginner mistake. Start with a fitting, not a random box.

Putting a lens in

• Wash and dry your hands with a lint-free towel.
• Check the lens is not inside out. It should look like a bowl, not a rimmed saucer.
• Balance it on your fingertip, hold your upper lid with one hand and pull your lower lid down with the other.
• Look up or straight ahead, place the lens on the eye, then look around slowly and blink. It settles into place.

Taking a lens out

• Wash your hands again.
• Look up, pull your lower lid down, and gently slide the lens to the white of your eye.
• Pinch it lightly off the surface with clean fingertips.

If a lens feels stuck, it is usually just dry. A blink or a lubricating drop frees it.

Keep it clean, keep it healthy

• Never use water or saliva. Only fresh contact lens solution.
• Rub, rinse and store reusable lenses in clean solution, and empty the case each day.
• Follow the replacement schedule. A daily lens is worn once and binned. A monthly lens is not a two-month lens.
• Do not sleep, shower or swim in lenses unless they are approved for it. Water and closed eyes trap bacteria against the surface.

Ease into it

Build up your wearing time over the first days rather than going straight to a full day. Keep a pair of glasses as backup, especially for long screen sessions and air-conditioned rooms, where lenses dry out faster. If your eyes turn red, sore or light-sensitive, take the lenses out and have them checked before wearing again.

Visit a Vision Express store for a contact lens fitting and a hands-on lesson from our team, so your first pair feels easy and safe from day one.