Almost everyone who gives up on contact lenses gives up in the first two weeks. Not because lenses do not suit them, but because insertion is genuinely awkward at first and nobody warned them how long that lasts. It is days, not months.
What the first appointment involves
More than an eye test. Your optometrist measures the curvature of your cornea, checks your tear film, and puts a trial lens on the eye to see how it settles after several minutes.
Out of that come your base curve, diameter and the specific brand — all of which are part of the prescription and none of which transfer from your glasses. See why a glasses prescription is not enough.
You will also be taught insertion and removal and asked to demonstrate both before you leave. Expect that to take a while. Twenty minutes on the first attempt is normal and not a bad sign.
The first week
- Build up wearing time as instructed — often four to six hours on day one, increasing daily. Do not go straight to fourteen hours because they feel fine.
- Expect mild awareness of the lens for a few days. It fades.
- Always the same eye first, every time. It is the simplest way never to mix up two prescriptions.
- Plug the sink. Everyone loses one eventually.
- Keep your glasses to hand for the evenings.
Technique in inserting and removing — most people find removal the easier of the two.
Normal, and not normal
Normal: knowing the lens is there for the first few days; watering briefly on insertion; the odd lens going in inside out; taking several tries.
Not normal: sharp pain, persistent grittiness, stinging every time, redness, or vision that does not clear. Take the lens out and check for a tear, debris, or an inverted lens. If it still hurts with the lens out, get it looked at — see red eye with contacts.
Stinging on insertion every time usually means a reaction to your solution rather than to the lens — see solutions compared.
Start with dailies if you can
For a first-time wearer there is a strong case for daily disposables: no case, no solution, no cleaning routine to learn on top of everything else. A fresh sterile lens each morning, binned at night.
They cost more per year. While you are still finding out whether lens wear suits you at all, the simplicity is worth it — and if you turn out to be a part-time wearer, they are often cheaper anyway. See the modality comparison.
The five rules that prevent nearly everything
- Never sleep in them unless prescribed for it — see why
- Never let water touch them — no swimming, showering or tap rinsing; see why
- Never top up old solution — empty the case completely each time
- Replace the case every three months — see the case guide
- Respect the replacement date — a monthly expires thirty days after opening, whatever your wear pattern; see expiry
Things new wearers ask
Can a lens get lost behind my eye? No. Anatomically impossible — the conjunctiva forms a closed pocket. It can slide under the upper lid; see retrieving it.
Can I wear make-up? Yes. Lenses in first, make-up second; lenses out first, make-up off second.
What if I have astigmatism? There are toric lenses for it. Expect a slightly longer fitting and possibly a follow-up.
How long until it feels normal? Most people stop thinking about it within a week or two.
General information, not a substitute for instruction from your own optometrist. Reviewed by Dr. Teresita Bollar, OD.
