if you wear contact lenses please help before I cry and give up

[oldfatgreycat]

I have a trial of lenses at the grand old age of 49.
I just spent an hour in front of a mirror trying and failing to even get one in. I am ok touching my eye. I have the lens on my finger, hold my eye open and touch the eye. But it won’t stick. I move my finger away and it’s still there. I’ve tried blinking then it creases up.
Clearly I don’t have an hour in a morning spare to be messing with lenses so am close to giving up.
Any tips? What am I doing wrong??

My method has worked for 42 years of hard lenses:

• Wash hands well
• Put a drop of conditioning liquid on both sides of the lens
• Balance the lens carefully on the tip of your finger
• Bring your finger up to your eye, keep looking at the lens and very gently tap the lens onto the iris Don't use a mirror Don't blink until the lens is secure
• You may find a few drops of conditioner drip out of your eye afterwards. this is fine, so long as the lens is still in the eye

Seconding Gas Permeable lenses. Sooooo much easier to get in and out. I tried soft lenses and I could get them in ok but I could NOT get them out. Gave me the heebie jeebies GO’s just pop in and out and are better for your eye too.

GP’s. I mean

I don't wear normal contact, although I do wear glasses. But when I wear fashion contact I find it easier to look down at the floor and out it in so your finger is face up so it doesnt slip before you get to your eye.

I was taught to put lens into palm of hand. Rub it a bit with fingertip to get excess solution off.
Put it onto the end of your finger. Place directly onto iris and wiggle left to right a few times before removing your finger to ensure it’s stuck.

@BigChocFrenzy

Ha, you just beat me! I've been wearing them for just over 40 years, although I've been gas permeable for the last thirty.

Push it a little so you feel it suction onto your eye, you may hear/ feel a little squelch when the excess solution is displaced as it secures to your eye. I also think it’s easier not looking into the mirror!

I have worn contacts for years, but I can never manage to put them in if looking in to a mirror. Try doing it by touch alone.

I always have to use a mirror. Look directly at the mirror and put straight onto the iris with wide eyes. Hold for a second and then it’s in.

Don't give up OP, you will get it. DH rolls his eyes at me trying to get mine in, I make such a faff of it but the process does get easier.
Once they're in, you then have to try and get the fuckers out

35 years here (relative newbie!) but I still remember how hard it was at first. Dry index finger, lens on fingertip, a couple of drops of solution in it, hold lower lid with fingers of other hand, pop it straight onto the iris. I don't know about mirrors, my prescription is so strong I can't see the mirror till the lens is in.

I had GP lenses for 20 years and agree they are easier to get in and out and cheaper, but I would never switch back from silicone hydrogels now, so much comfier, virtually never get dust behind them and I can sleep in them.

Chin down on your chest almost in front of a mirror, look up and pull bottom eyelid down. Put contact (allow to dry for a few seconds) onto tip of index finger and touch to white of eye. Keep looking at mirror straight ahead and tilt your head up and down to get bubbles out. Voila!

To remove: same head position again, gently slide contact down onto white of eye, pinch contact to break seal.

It will get better!

I can't use the mirror. Do it without looking. Do a bit of a circular massage/rub once its touching your eye to get it to stick.

38 years here. In the early days I took the mirror off the wall and laid it on a flat surface so I was looking down onto it. Slightly embarrassed to say that I also need to have my mouth open Not sure why that helps but it does.

Thirty plus years of wearing gas permeable lenses, I cannot get soft ones in or out of my eye. 😮

No tips OP sorry, Im still wearing GPs.

Contact lens on right hand index finger, use right hand's right finger to drag down under-eye and use left hand to hold open upper eyelid using eye lashes, look forward, put contact lens onto iris, then look around slowly, left to right, then let go of your under eye area, look around once more, then slowly let go of your upper eyelid/eye lashes. Then I like to close my eyes and tap on my eye to make sure the contact lens is in place if it feels weird.

The trick is by keeping your eyes open by holding your upper eyelashes and undereye area you are giving time for the lens to stick to your eye before blinking which can shift it out of your eye.

I tried on and off for a year and hated them. I couldn't get them in for love nor money. If I ever did I could get them out ok it was just the getting in I struggled with.

I put mine off centre and press it till I hear it ‘crackle’ been wearing lenses for 20 years and can get them in in seconds now, it did take time when I first got them.

Use a hand mirror. Leave it on worktop and look down into it. Pull down lower lid and pop lens in.

I've been wearing lenses for over 40 years and it's practice - took me a fortnight to get my hard lenses into my eyes. Now I'm on soft lenses and they still took me a few goes before I got it, so don't give up! And I second using a hand mirror and looking down. You have to kind of push it on, so that it sticks. Now I don't use a mirror at all - I just look straight ahead and aim for the middle!

It's a sodding nightmare and after 6 weeks of trying to get them in and out I gave up. They were going to change my life......I was gutted!

I must admit I'm 15 years in with soft lenses now and the thought of pinching them out makes me feel queasy, I could never do that, even though I'm OK with touching my whites when an eyelash goes on them. I've stuck to my old GP lens technique of squeezing them out with fingers on eyelids.