How to Put in Colored Contacts (First Time Wearer Guide)

 Contacts are generally one of the most sensitive objects to handle in your day-to-day life. Whether you have decided to ditch the good ol' glasses for prescribed color lenses or need to switch up your look with a wide variety of colors, you can never go wrong with a good pair of lenses that can uplift your appearance.

However, it isn't as simple as it seems. If you are a beginner, I'm sure you must have millions of questions swarming around your head. Why can't I just wash my lenses with tap water? Do I really have to cut my nails before wearing lenses? What if I lose my contact lenses in the eyes?

If you see yourself here, you aren't alone. Also, remember that colored lenses are not made to be very expensive and therefore they might not offer the same quality as prescribed lenses. As a result, you may experience irritation and dryness in the beginning.

Here's a complete guide you need to start this new journey and how to put in colored contacts for the first time with ease.

So, let's get started!

How to Put in Colored Contacts For The First Time

How to Put in Contact Lenses

First and foremost, before you dive in head first to put in your colored contacts, make sure your hands are thoroughly cleaned. This helps ensure you keep the sensitive eye area free of infections and reduce the chances of redness and teary eyes.

You may also want to stay away from strong soaps that contain a high level of oils or fragrances that can add extra chemicals to your contacts and eventually irritate the eye. Once that's set, follow these steps to put in colored contacts effectively.

1. Stand on a flat surface where you have low chances of losing your lens. If you are standing over the sink, it's best to plug the drain to prevent the lens from being lost.

2. Now, place one lens on your index finger. The outside 9 colored side) must be pointing down at this time. Here, remember to use the contacts in the same eye that it is meant to be. This is especially true for prescribed lenses as they usually have different powers on both sides of the lens. You must also use your fingertips instead of nails to do this.

3. If you happen to drop the lens during this process, make sure to clean it well with the solution before trying it again.

4. Hold your upper eyelid wide open and look at the ceiling or mirror (whatever you are comfortable with).

5. Place the lens in the eye and gently blank a few times to see whether it fits your pupils. Be patient if your lens doesn't go at the right spot, you can keep blinking until you are satisfied with its position.

How to Take Out Contact Lenses

Now that you have learned how to put on your lens, you should never sleep with the contacts on. Therefore, you may need to ensure that you are carefully removing these lenses to maintain a healthy eye.

Just like how you put it on, removing it also requires you to thoroughly wash your hands with a gentle cleanser and dry them so you don't want water floating in your eye while removing it. After that, here are the steps to follow to safely remove contact lenses:

1. Start off by throwing out the excess solution in the storage to keep all the bacteria away before storing it.
2. Now, stand in front of the mirror or on a flat surface and loop up at the ceiling.
3. Gently pull down the lower eyelid with your middle finger and pinch the padded lens with your index finger and thumb.
4. Store it on the correct side of the lens container to avoid confusion with the sides
5. Repeat the process for the other eye and ensure to read the instructions behind the container (if any) to make sure you leave no stone unturned to keep your eyes in excellent shape at all times.

Storing Contact Lenses Overnight

As a general rule of thumb, you should always clean your lens after removing them. When you take out your colored lens after wearing them all day long, always make sure to rinse it with the solution before storing it.

This is especially true when sticky particles like dust or make-up are stuck in your lenses which eventually build up to be strong bacteria and cause eye infections. Here, remember not to use your fingernails to clean the contacts.

Another thing to bear in mind is to never rinse the contacts with water as it can dry them out in no time. The best way to do this is to use a sterile saline solution to rinse the lens. However, it can be used for disinfecting your contacts. This way you get to prolong the life of your contacts and make a bang for your buck.

Tips for Wearing Contact Lenses for the First Time

Here comes the part that you came here for in the first place. Sure, it can be quite arduous or even scary to wear contact lenses for the first time. To make this an easy process for you, here are some of the tips given by experts. So, let's have a look at these.

1.  Just Relax

When you are just starting out, it is completely normal to be nervous or anxious about switching to contacts. The fear of scratching your eyes is the #1 reason why many people refrain from switching to contacts.

However, the truth is far from this. Simply relax and handle your lenses with care. As long as you manage to keep your lenses hydrated and don't touch them with dirty hands, you can rest assured that your eyes are in good hands.

Remember, the lens will naturally fit inside when you bring it closer to the eyeball but it needs ample space to get in. Don't blink frequently when you're putting in contact lenses. It's good to look in the mirror while you're trying to wear a lens but with time and practice, you can do great even without a mirror.

2.  Self-Check Your Contacts

Regardless of how your lens looks, you can always figure out what's wrong by the feel of it. Once you have put on the contact lenses, ask yourself these questions to self check the contacts:

• How do my eyes feel? Is there any irritation or itchiness?
• Look yourself in the mirror and see if the lens fits in the eye properly
• Is my vision fine? Can you see without squinting your eyes?
•  Look for redness in your eyes and get an overall idea if they don't feel comfortable.

If you have a negative response to any of the questions above, check with your doctor immediately and get it fixed right away.

3.  Learn How to Put on Your Contacts

Sure, it can be daunting or even awkward to put on contacts for the first time; however, there is nothing you can't learn through practice.

You should only put contact lenses when it looks like a cup on your fingertips. Once you have placed the lens in your eye, gently close your eye so it can settle correctly.

4.  Keep Contacts Hydrated

The key to prolonging the life of your contacts is to keep them hydrated AT ALL TIMES!

Without this, you run the risk of irritating your eyes and even scratching them. However, you don't just have to hydrate them once a day. As a general rule of thumb, the more you use your eyes like reading on a computer, watching TV, or a job that requires attention to details, the easier it gets to dry your eyes.

Therefore, depending on how often you feel dryness in your eyes you can hydrate the lenses and keep the solutions handy.

5.  Follow Doctor Recommendations

Once you have familiarized yourself with the contacts, you may be exposed to a wide range of products that are supposedly used to amp up your experience with them. However, never opt for anything from the internet unless it is recommended by your doctor.

Otter than that, if you are struggling with the solution or eye irritation, contact your doctor to replace the products immediately.

6.  Always Clean Your Lenses

When it comes to cleaning your lenses, there are two ways you can do this.

Contact solution: this is a disinfect and hydration solution to keep your contacts stored and safe at all times.

Saline Solution: this is a saltwater solution used to rinse the contact lens before applying it to your eyes. This is slightly different from your regular contact solutions and there you should never store your delicate lenses in them.

7.  Follow the Precautions

When you purchase your first pair of colored lenses, you will be given a list of precautions and steps to keep your eyes' health in check. This includes never sleeping with your contacts on, using them for too long, or replacing them immediately after you start to experience irritation or redness.

What to Do When There's a Problem

Now that you know how to prevent issues with contact lenses, what if you have already encountered a portable? Here are some of the things you can do if you have encountered a problem with your colored contacts.

Irritation or Dryness

If your eyes feel dry and irritated even after frequently hydrating them, this could be a problem for your eyes. Whether there is something stuck in your eye or you may have been straining your eyes way more than usual, there are many possible ways why you might be experiencing this way.

If this happens, I suggest you take out the contact lenses, clean them, and put them in again. If that doesn't work, hit up a professional to help you ease this problem. Doctors also prescribe eye drops to cure dryness when you have to wear contacts for a long duration of time.

Visible Contacts

In general, you can barely see contacts in your eyes. However, if you see your colored contacts more obvious than usual or are not in the correct position, remove them and reinsert them to fix their misalignment.

Blurred Vision

If you have prescribed colored lenses, then you must be able to see clearly once you put on your contact lenses. However, if your vision is still blurry, try cleaning the lenses and put them on again. If you still see no difference, the contact lens piece must be faulty. In such a case, you should immediately stop using them and contact your doctor for an inspection.

Conclusion

Contact lenses are very common but most people use them to correct their vision problems. They serve as a great alternative to eyeglasses and sometimes doctors also recommend wearing lenses to treat certain eye diseases. Contacts are great for physical activity as they do not fog up easily. However, the biggest dilemma anyone could face with lenses is how to put them on especially when it's your first time.

Colored lenses are used to enhance your natural eye color and you can also choose a pair of colored lenses to correct your vision. A lot of people also wear non-prescription colored lenses for aesthetic reasons. They are not bad for your eyes as long as you follow the precautionary measures and learn to put them on correctly. In this article, we looked at some tips to wear colored lenses successfully for the first time.

All in all, there is no medical reason to wear colored contact lenses. However, if you are wearing prescribed ones or for aesthetic purposes, you may need to go the extra mile to ensure you are keeping your eyes in the best state possible. Once you have mastered the initial upkeep, the rest will be completely effortless to take to enjoy your journey with the lenses and freshen up your look.