Soft contact lenses

[RaraRachael]

I've used hard contact lenses for years but now they're drying out too much to be comfortable. I had an appointment to trial soft lenses last week. The optician put them in but I could not remove them. I tried several times then had a panic attack and she had to come and remove them.

I'm going back to have another attempt next week but feel that I'll always be worrying that I won't be able to remove them.

They seem so big and flimsy compared to my old ones.
Any advice on how to overcome my fears would be welcome.

Thanks @BumbelinaaaThe previous places I'd looked at only went up to -8. Mine are -16 so I'll have a look.

I have never managed to pinch. I slide to corner then they come out. Occasionally I get one under my eyelid and then sleep and visit soecsavers in the morning to remove. Maybe once a year?

I have never slid mine (daily disposables); I just pinch them between my index finger and thumb. I’ve been doing it for years and it’s as easy as winking for me - sorry if that doesn’t help you! The only issue is that I can’t let my fingernails get too long.

That's illegal for good reason. How do you know they even fit, you only have one pair of eyes and what would you risk you sight by wearing lenses you if you have no idea if they are suitable for you?

OP - Go back and ask to try a different lens, there are lots of different ones and some are easier to remove than others.

Thanks @jetlag92but due to my very complex prescription I have very limited options

You should definitely go back. I was absolutely determined I was going to do it and I never dreamt it would be so hard. Other people just seem to get the hang of it. My opticians were so patient and helpful.

I really don't think I can face going back @AllHoityToity. Even if I managed to get them in I'd spend all day worrying that I couldn't get them out again.
I can't get over how big and flimsy they are. Plus they're not coloured at all so, with my terrible eyesight I couldn't even see them in the pot. I'd need an extremely strong mirror to see what I was doing.

I've always had long fingernails. I don't purposely grow them, they're just strong and grow quickly.
I used to wear contacts. I could never do the thumb /finger thing because of my nails. I just put my hand up, palm facing me. Opened first two fingers, as if doing the V sign, pulled my lid up with the other hand, put both v fingers fingertip pads on my eye, one either side of the lens, and simply closed my fingers together. It worked every time, and I didn't have to cut my nails! Lol
I hope I've explained it ok.

I just slide and pinch, monthlies better than dailies, but I use Acuvue Oasys in both and they are pretty thick. Have you been given Opticians own brand? They are definite sub standard.

If you really get stuck, you can just rub them out! After all if you rub your eyes by mistake they just drop out, so if stuck, just rub and rub and rub, and they will ball up in the corner of your eye!

Even the optician struggled to get one occasion yhem our and I was getting quite upset imagining if this was me at home, so I took it as a sign that I wasn't meant to have them.

God knows how millions of people manage with these things.

I used to wear gas permeable years ago .. then I switched to soft and found them to be very comfortable, but I’ve always removed them by using my finger at the corner of the outside of the eye and pulling the skin towards my ear .. thereby narrowing the eye .. then blinking and the contact lense comes out, no touching the eye, or pinching or anything .. might be worth a try, it’s always worked for me

I really struggled at first, was brought back for several teaching sessions and just couldn’t manage to get them out. The last time, after trying for ages, the assistant sent me back into the optician to take them out. He sat me down, said “You're going to do this yourself”, and proceeded to show me the pinching method, which was different to the sliding one that the assistants had been getting me to do. He told me the important thing to remember was that the white of the eye has no sensation, so you can pinch it much more firmly than you think - you won’t hurt yourself. Once that clicked for me I got it almost immediately and have never looked back.

I just couldn't bear the feeling of touching my eye . With my old lenses, I could move them around no problem as I couldn't feel my eye under it.

How did you get the rigid ones out? I just carried on with the exact same technique when I switched to soft lenses.

I have also had the problem of losing dropped colourless lenses in the past but the ones I have now have a blue handling tint like my gas permeables did so I can see them.

With the rigid ones, I pulled the corner of my eye, blinked and they just popped out.
I was told that, due to my prescription, I can't get coloured lenses

I panicked first time I tried removing them too - I was being too gentle with the pinch - it's v easy really

Oh how silly you'd think they'd always tint the strongest lenses as those are the people that need it the most.

I can see why that wouldn't work, I pinch both sorts out with eyelids. I hope you can find a way.

What's your prescription?

I work mainly at specsavers at the moment and we have lots of options for many prescriptions.

Sometimes putting a drop of lubricant in before removing them helps too.

Stick with it - you'll get it eventually.

Make sure your hands are super dry- any slip and it makes it harder (also agree with the above, especially if you have dry eye disease, if the lens is drying out it’ll be harder to remove- I usually tell people to pop some drops in about 5mins before they plan to remove them, then blink a lot!)

I don’t know if this will make sense, but when people can’t ‘grip’ the lens, I teach a different way:
Use the hand the same side of the eye you’re removing a lens from, chin down, look up.
Forefinger HORIZONTAL, place it onto the bottom of the lens, press a little and slide it down (keeping it in contact with the lens), and rotate the finger in the same direction, all the way into the little pocket at the bottom lid- the lens SHOULD peel away from the eye.

I often use this technique for people who refuse to cut their nails, but it also works well for people with poorer dexterity and/or have a real aversion to ‘pinching’ the eye.

I did see a video on TikTok of a lady that removes her soft lenses using the RGP blink method by looking by towards her nose, then pulling the lid taught and blinking. I’ve not tried it myself, yet.

I often say to people if you’ve not got them out after 5mins, go away and do something else for half an hour, then try again. All you’ll do by digging at your eye is get yourself wound up, get frustrated and injure yourself (this is obviously advice for once you’re signed off to take them home).

Thanks @SartiSpritzbut I'm not going to reach the stage of being signed off to take them home.
Even if I did eventually get them in, I'd spend all day in a panic that I couldn't get them out again.

So make two appointments. Go into the optician’s in the morning, put the lenses in. Then agree a time in the early evening when you’ll go in to remove them under supervision. So you know you’ll have help if you can’t manage it.

But I do acknowledge there’s a flaw in the plan if you’re struggling to see the lenses in their case. Of course they need to find a way of providing you with lenses you can actually discern at every stage!