Dear Reader,

As annoying and frustrating as a contact lens gone awry, or bye-bye, can be, it's wise to take a deep breath, wash your hands and face (if possible), and gather up patience before you go hunting for it.

First, let's look for the lens in your affected eye. Whether it's a soft or hard lens, use LOTS of saline solution in the eye. Resting the eye by leaving it closed for a while can make it easier for your lens to reappear. If this doesn't work for you a nd you wear soft contact lenses, pulling down your lower lid or the skin below the eye with clean fingers and then trying to blink may help you in your search. You'll probably have to do this several times, sometimes with the help of some saline solution or eye drops. Another option, which can help hard contact lens wearers in particular, is to allow the lens to dry out, which may help it to pop out more easily.

Perhaps the contact lens has already come out but you feel that something is still there because your eye is irritated. To relieve some of this discomfort, try rinsing or bathing the affected eye with cool water or using over-the-counter eye drops.

For peace of mind, you might want to have someone else look for your lens in your eye, too, just in case. If that someone is your ophthalmologist, call her/him for other suggestions or make an appointment if s/he recommends it.

Alice

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