1. Always wash your hands before handling your contact
lenses. Avoid soaps with creams, deodorants or perfumes,
as they may leave a film on you hand and cause eye
irritation. Keep your fingernails trimmed and smooth to
avoid damaging the lens or scratching your eye.
2. Take the right lens and rinse thoroughly with saline or
rinsing solution. Check for any debris or tears in the
lens before inserting. Always insert and remove the right
lens first to avoid switching the lenses.
3. Determine if the lens is right side out. Hold the lens
on your finger and notice the edges of the lens. If the
edges appear almost straight up and appears to be bowl
shaped, it is correct. If the edges of the lens are flared
out, it is inside out. Your lens may have an inversion
mark on it to help determine the right side. If the letter
or mark can be read by looking at the lens, it is correct.
If the mark is reversed, the lens in inside out.
4. Another method to tell if the lens in inside out is
called the "taco test". Fold the lens gently in the palm
of your hand. If it is correct, the edges will point
inward. If it is inside out, the edges will roll out
rather than in.
5. Hold the upper lashes to prevent blinking with the hand
not holding the lens. Hold the lower eyelid with the
middle finger of the hand holding the lens. Slowly bring
the lens toward the eye while looking "through" the lens
and finger and place it on the cornea. Slowly release the
lower lid first and then the upper lid. Close your eyes
gently to center the lens.
6. Use lubricating or re-wetting drops if your lenses feel
dry or prior to removal if the lenses feel sticky.
