The Complete Guide: Safely Preparing and Inserting Your Contact Lenses

Once you have chosen a pair of contact lenses that meet your needs, let's get into the best and safest way to correctly prepare and store your contact lenses. If you are struggling to make your final decision on which contact lens design to pick, check out our previous guide How To Choose Your Contact Lenses for our best tips and guidelines. When wearing contact lenses for the first time, it can take a little bit of time to get used to the process of inserting and wearing your lenses, but soon it will become second nature! In this guide, we are going to talk you through the most effective way to ensure your lenses are safe for use and how to insert them easily. 

At Funky Lenses, we stock a variety of tools that are designed to help insert your lenses and provide safe contact lens storage so that your experience is as simple and positive as possible. Experienced users of contact lenses begin to find their own go-to way of inserting contact lenses the more they get used to the process of handling the lenses; in this guide, discover a simple and practical method that can be used by beginners. 

Preparing Your Contact Lenses

When your contact lenses first arrive, as tempting as it might be to tear the box open as quickly as possible, we highly recommend checking that the information on the box matches what you have ordered. Details that should be checked before opening include: the contact lens measurements, the name of the design and the longevity types. If you find that any of this information is incorrect, please contact our customer services at info@funkylenses.com; we are unable to accept returns or provide refunds for items that have been opened due to health and safety. If you are happy with the information on the box you have received, it’s time to prepare your lenses.

Your contact lenses will arrive in either a blister pack or a glass vial. Before opening the packaging, please check that these have not been damaged. If this is the case, contact our customer services.

When you first open the blister pack or glass vial that your lens arrived in, we recommend inspecting your lenses for any possible damage such as tears; if you find that either of your lenses are damaged, please do not insert your contact lenses and contact our customer services team with an image included of the damage. If your lenses are fit for purpose, both should be removed from their packaging and soaked in fresh multipurpose colored contact lens solution for a minimum of 2 hours before wear. 

From our contact lens accessories section, you will find a selection of contact lens cases from standard to travel kits, along with a multipurpose contact lens solution. The solution that is contained within the packaging that your contact lenses arrive in is much stronger than a multipurpose solution, which can irritate the eye if inserted straight from the pack or vial. 

You might be wondering, why should I soak my contact lenses? Soaking your contact lenses when removed from their packaging will remove any residue of the higher concentrated solution and bring it back to a similar concentration as the eye. This process will also provide a softer surface and provide comfortable contact lenses for use. 

Inserting Your Contact Lenses

Now that your contact lenses have been properly prepared, inspected and soaked for a minimum of 2 hours in fresh contact lens solution, it’s time to try them out! At first, inserting contact lenses may take some getting used to but with practice, it can soon become a simple process. 

Here’s our method for inserting contact lenses for beginners:

Place your contact lens onto your index finger and check that it is not inside out; you can do this by looking closely at the eye lens shape as it sits on your finger. The lens should sit in a smooth U shape. If it is the wrong way up, your contact lens will be a V shape. 

Once you are happy that your contact lens is the correct way up, with your other hand, use your index finger to gently pull down your lower lid and place the contact lens onto your eyeball. 

Once you have placed your contact lens onto your eye, slowly look around so that your lens can position itself correctly over your natural iris.

Be careful not to drop your contact lenses when handling; if dropped they should be disposed of immediately and not used.

Now that your contact lenses have been prepped and inserted safely, here are some of our top FAQs for wearing contact lenses.

How long can you wear contact lenses?

Your contact lenses should not be worn for longer than 8 consecutive hours each day. If you have daily or single-use contact lenses, they should be disposed of once removed; multi-day lenses can be worn again with proper maintenance such as proper cleaning and storage. 

Is it safe to wear contact lenses every day?

If your contact lenses offer extended longevity such as our 30 day contact lenses, they can safely be worn every day from when they are opened for up to 30 days before they should be disposed of. Remember, do not exceed 8 consecutive hours of wear each day.

When not to wear contact lenses

There are several daily tasks and activities in which your contact lenses should not be worn:

Driving - We do not recommend wearing colored contact lenses when driving due to the halo effect. The halo effect is when the edge of the pupil is obstructed by the color on the lens which means the user can see it in their peripheral vision which can cause obstruction to vision.

Swimming and sports - It is best not to wear your colored contact lenses during any sporting activities. Wearing lenses when swimming or during any water sports can cause infection due to any bacteria that could be in the water. Wearing contact lenses when playing sports could cause damage to the lens and eye and should be avoided. 

Sleeping - Wearing contact lenses when sleeping can cause infection and damage to the eye due to lack of oxygen and trapping of any bacteria. 

Now that you are best informed about how to safely prepare and insert contact lenses, we can’t wait to see what amazing cosplays and creative costumes you come up with using our Funky Lenses contacts! If we haven't answered some of your questions in this guide, please feel free to contact our customer services team at info@funkylenses.com, they will be more than happy to assist you!