QUICK ANSWER: Don’t panic and don’t rub your eye. Wash your hands, add a few drops of lubricating drops or saline, blink gently and look in different directions, then slide the lens back to the centre of your eye and pinch it out softly. In most cases it comes out within a couple of minutes.
A contact lens that feels “stuck” is almost never actually stuck. Usually it has dried out slightly, folded, or slid under an eyelid. It cannot get lost behind your eye — the membrane lining your eyelids stops anything travelling further back. The whole process below takes just a few minutes.
Step 1: Stop and wash your hands
Take your hands away from your eye at once. Rubbing only pushes the lens further off-centre and can scratch the surface of your eye. Wash your hands well with soap and water and dry them with a clean, lint-free towel. If you are out and cannot wash, use a hand sanitiser and let your hands dry fully before touching your eye.
Step 2: Find the lens in a mirror
Stand in front of a mirror in good light and look closely. Is the lens still on the coloured part of your eye, or has it moved to the white part? Often you can see its edge sitting under the lower lid or tucked under the upper lid. Knowing where it is tells you which way to coax it back.
Step 3: Rewet the eye
Put 2–3 drops of preservative-free lubricating eye drops, or sterile saline made for contact lenses, into the affected eye. If you have neither, use your regular multipurpose contact lens solution. Blink slowly several times to spread the moisture. A dry lens grips the eye; a wet lens moves freely. Wait about a minute and let your natural tears help too.
Step 4: Move the lens back to the centre
Look in the opposite direction to where the lens has gone — if it is under the upper lid, look down; if it is sitting low, look up. Then look slowly from side to side while blinking gently. This usually slides the lens back over the coloured part of your eye. If it is folded in half, blinking and rewetting often unfold it on its own.
Step 5: Remove it gently
Once the lens is centred and moving freely, use the usual pinch method: with clean, dry fingertips, hold your lids open, then gently pinch the lens between thumb and index finger and lift it off. If it still will not budge, add more drops, wait another minute, and try again. Never force it.
Step 6: Check the lens and rest your eye
Hold the lens up to the light. If it is torn, chipped or dried out, throw it away — do not put a damaged lens back in. If it looks fine, store it in fresh solution in a clean case. Give your eye a short break, and switch to your glasses for the rest of the day if the eye feels sore or irritated.
What NOT to do
- Do not rub your eye hard — this can scratch the cornea and push the lens further off-centre.
- Do not use tweezers, cotton buds, a tissue corner or any tool to fish the lens out.
- Do not use tap water, saliva or homemade salt water to wet the lens — use only sterile saline, lubricating drops or lens solution.
- Do not keep the lens in if your eye is red, painful or sensitive to light after removal.
- Do not sleep in a lens that gave you trouble, unless your eye doctor has specifically approved that lens for overnight wear.
See a doctor / seek urgent care if:
- You cannot find or remove the lens after several calm attempts.
- Your eye stays red, painful, watery or sensitive to light after the lens is out.
- Your vision stays blurred or you see a white or grey spot on the eye.
- There is discharge from the eye, or the eye swells.
- You scratched your eye or the lens tore while it was in.
- You have had eye surgery, an eye disease, or you wear lenses for a medical condition.
An eye doctor can remove a stubborn lens in seconds with a slit lamp, and can check for scratches. This is a routine visit for them, so do not feel embarrassed about going.
FAQs
Can a contact lens get lost behind my eye?
No. The conjunctiva, the thin tissue lining your eyelids and the front of your eye, forms a closed pocket. A lens can hide under an eyelid, but it cannot travel behind the eyeball.
What if the lens has folded in half in my eye?
This is common with soft lenses. Rewet the eye well, blink gently and look around slowly — the lens usually unfolds and recentres on its own. If it stays folded, an eye doctor can remove it easily.
Can I reuse the lens after getting it out?
If it is intact and you cleaned and stored it in fresh solution, yes. If it is torn, dried out, fell on a dirty surface, or your eye is irritated, throw it away and use a fresh lens or your glasses.
This guide is for information only and is not medical advice.