Getting used to wearing contacts can take some time. It is not abnormal to have a little trouble getting them in, experience a bit of eye dryness, and feel like you need to take them out after a few hours during the first few weeks with contacts. It's important to know, however, what's normal and what's not when it comes to difficulties during your first few weeks of contact wear. Specifically, if you experience any of these symptoms or issues, you should take out your contacts and head back to the eye doctor (or give them a call, at least).

Your eyes burn when you put the contacts in.

Your contact solution is made to be soothing to your eyes. If you feel burning when you insert your contacts, it's not just your eyes reacting normally to the solution. There's something wrong. You might be sensitive to one of the preservatives in the contact solution. Contact your eye doctor, and let them know which solution you're using. They should be able to recommend one that uses different preservatives and ingredients and is thus less likely to cause this reaction.

If you have this issue with several different contact solutions, then there's a chance another underlying issue, such as severe eye dryness or allergies, is to blame. You're best off visiting your eye doctor so he or she can take a look at your eyes and get to the bottom of the issue before you cause any lasting damage. In the meantime, wear your glasses.

There is yellow, green, or bloody discharge coming from your eye.

When you wear contact lenses, they restrict the flow of oxygen to your corneas. This makes your eyes a more appealing environment for certain infectious bacteria. Though most contact wearers can avoid infections if they clean their lenses and change them as recommended by their eye doctors, some people are more prone to infections than others. If you are developing yellow, green, or bloody eye discharge, this is a sure sign of infection. You might also experience blurred vision, redness in the eyes, and sensitivity to light. Take your contacts out immediately, and call your eye doctor.

Your eye doctor will diagnose the infection and likely give you some antibiotic eye drops to help clear it up. Then, the possible causes will be considered. Perhaps you misheard the instructions for cleaning the lenses and did not do so properly, and this lead to the infection. Maybe you were accidentally prescribed lenses that fit too tightly, and this contributed to the problem. Either way, it is essential to work with your eye doctor to figure out the root cause of the infection so it does not happen again.

You just can't manage to get the lenses in.

Your optician should have helped you get your lenses in for the first time before you left the office. Unfortunately, some patients struggle to get the lenses in on their own once they return home. If you are having a lot of trouble getting the lenses in, take a break, and then try again. If you've been trying for a half hour or so and are still not successful, it's best to just stop. You may accidentally damage your contacts, dry out your eyes, or get so frustrated that you give up entirely. Instead, return to your eye doctor's office. The optician can observe you trying to insert the contacts and let you know where you're going wrong.

When you finally get home with your new contacts, the last thing you want is an eye infection or insertion problems getting in the way of you wearing them. However, it is vitally important that you talk to your eye doctor if you have the problems above in your first few weeks with contacts. Doing so will ensure you get back on track promptly so you can show off those new lenses soon!

Share