Contact broke in half when taking it out?

Question

i have soft lenses and when i was just taking them out, the right eye one came out in half, with the other half still in my eye, it took a few minutes but i got the other half out and then on the counter i saw really two small pieces of the lens too. im pretty sure i got most of it out of my eye but is there anything i can do to make sure, also is this a rare event? i didnt think lenses were that easy to break

Answer 1

This is a very rare event. It has never happened to me and it is probably because of your nails if too sharp they can cut the lens or your lenses were expired and so they ripped. If you eye isnt hurting then it should be out but you could flush you eye with water and put eye drops in it to be safe.

Answer 2

contact lenses become weak with age....the older they are (or more they are used) the more likely they are to tear.....if your tear ducts function properly, your eye will expel any fragments that may still be on your eye....contacts are shaped to fit on the eye, but once the contact is no longer intact, your eye would naturally flush out any pieces....if your eye is watering or you find an increased amount of matter when you wake up in the morning, this is a sign that your eye is attempting to flush out a foriegn object....i have had my contacts tear while taking it out, and have always been able to feel if there is a piece still in my eye....kind of similar to having an eyelash in your eye.....if there is discomfort, you should go see your eye doctor; if it feels fine, there probably aren't any pieces left in your eye.

Answer 3

oooo ... u poor thing... that had 2 hurt... I've been wearing soft contacts now for approx 14 months, i had one rip on me(into two pieces) but Ive never had one fall apart like u described. It sounds like U rubbed it or maybe the lens was dried out.  It prob will B sore for @least 24 hrs But If you have any eye pain(LIKE U NEED AN ASPIRIN 4 RELIEF) DEFINITELY make an apt 2 see your optometrist. And... if UR still nervous about having pieces left 'in' your eye...try using distilled water, ie bottle water, put it into a small, clean medicine cup(like the kind you get with cough syrup) hold it firmly against UR eye, tilt UR head back, open UR eye, & try looking around. Try rinsing it a couple of times, then if U think it's neccessary, put a cold compress or ice pack on it for a few minutes.

Good luck n happy healing!

Answer 4

same thing happened to me. I've been wearing acuvue all the time. then my doctor made me try out softlenses. and they would fold in half when i took them out, and of course when i tried to pull them apart, they ripped. So i changed my lenses for new ones, and they ripped again. Honestly softlenses is a cheap company. if i were you, i would stick with acuvue lenses. i don't know how long you've been wearing softlenses, but two pairs was enough for me to switch back!

Answer 5

I'd call the optometrist and explain to him what happened and see what he says.

Answer 6

This happened to me many times when I used bi-weekly lenses. Of the ten or so times that it happened to me, I once was not able to get all of the pieces out of my eye. Trust me - if there is still a piece of contact in your eye, you will feel it. Your eye is obviously going to be irritated for a couple days, but if it still feels as though there is an eyelash (or a contact, in this case) in your eye, go to your eye doctor immediately. This happened to me once, and my doctor had to put numbing drops in my eye and remove the piece with some sort of tool. Painless and quick.

If your eye doesn't hurt when you blink (other than being irritated from having trouble removing the contact), then you most likely got all of it out.

I eliminated this problem by switching to daily contacts - they're a bit more expensive, but they're a lot easier to take care of and they're healthier for your eyes.

Best of luck!

Answer 7

Yes, this is a rare event. Its only happened to me a couple times (in like 8 years of wearing them) but it might just have happened cuz you rubbed your eyes, or they were dry. Either way, dont worry, it prob wont happen again =)

Answer 8

you should feel if it's still in there because it'll move around your eye as would any other object....

but for sure you should try flushing your eye with water...that should do it