UK Keratoconus Self-Help and Support Association

I have been having a bit of a problem removing my RGP from my right eye (the reason i don't yet have one for my left is a long and unrelated and unimportant story). when trying to blink it out it feels asif my eyelid is pulling it of and then its snapping back onto my eye a bit like when u ping a credit card off of something hard. It is really quite sore when this happens. As far as i am aware i am following my optometrists technique of openin my eye wide as i can, pulling from the corner and then blinking hard. I have tried looking into the corner of my eye where my nose is but this is when it is worse. Anyone have any suggestions on what i might be doing wrong or what i can do to stop this from happening.

Other than this my lens wear is all going good and i barely feel it at all anymore...other when trying to get the blighter out!!!

I will be booking an apointment with my optometrist but thought i would post here to say what people say aswell.

I had the same problem when I started wearing RGPs. It was the technique that I wasnt comfortable with. Your optometrist will be able to advise you better and I encourage you to wait till you see her first. However, I used to use the technique you are using, but my optometrist showed me another technique.

Basically, I would use a couple fingers from one hand on the bottom eyelid right at the edge and the same with the other hand and the top. Then slowly and gently you push the eyelids towards the edge of the lens, as if you were blinking, applying only a little pressure. The lens should pop out quite safely.

Good luck!

Craig,

Firstly book the appointment with the optom, no harm in a refresher course for your own peace of mind.

I find this method OK for my right lens which is quite small but the lens needs to be wet. Before trying to blink the lens out I do a few blinks really hard to squeze tears under the lens so it is not dried to my cornea. If this fails, I use a few eye drops to do the job for me.

My right lens is slightly bigger so impossible to open my eyes wide enough. For this I have to pull the eye lids apart and gently press the edge of the lids into the eye and bring the lids together so the edge just catches the lens edge and pushes it out. Most the time the lens rests on the bottom lid. Again to do this I need to make sure the eyes are moist and need to use some wetting drops.

The third way which is reserved mainly for work or if I need to get a lens out quick when I have dirty hands is to use a little plunger from the optom which you push onto the lens and it sticks a bit like a sink plunger and pull the lens out. At work I use nasty chemicals which if on your fingers you would not want near to an irritated eye, so the plunger allows me to get a lens out while keeping fingers far enough away not to add to the problem.

Hope this helps, but best to see the optom because they can see exactly what you are doing and guide you from there.

I had that problem when I first tried to blink my lens out, now i can do it but the lenses pop out and get lost twice this week I have spent over an hour crawling around on the floor hunting for it and trying not to panic!
If you can get the lens to move then you are half way there.

We use a little soft silicone tool here. Available from the pharmacy for under a dollar (US), it has a little cup shape on one end, just touch it to the lens and lift it off.

Piper

Donna,

For lost lenses keep an old pair of stockings to hand so you can slip them over the ned of the vacuum cleaner. Wave in general location of lost lens and the lens should stay prodly on the end of the stockings rather than going into the cleaner.

Thats inspired!

Now finally I have a use for my old stockings

Eddie, "waste not, want not" I always say.

Piper

Thats how i found it but with my own sock not eddie's stocking

Spoke to my Optometrist and he gave me a different cleaning solution to use and told me to get some "Blink" eye drops. They worked a treat and was able to blink my lens out no problem and no pain whatsoever.