Dealing With Discomfort: Troubleshooting and Prevention

Why are my contact lenses uncomfortable?

There are numerous potential reasons why your contact lenses may feel uncomfortable; the most common reason for stinging or burning sensations is that the contact lenses likely haven’t been cleaned properly or have become contaminated after opening. 

How to check your contact lenses:

Before you even open the packaging, you should inspect your contact lenses to ensure they are suitable for you; this makes returning and exchanging your lenses a much more streamlined process. 

You should check the following:

1. The contact lenses match what you ordered.
2. The contact lenses' attributes match your own measurements, such as the diameter and base curve. Lenses that do not fit correctly will feel uncomfortable and may move around in the eye. 
3. The contact lenses are undamaged and intact, with no visible tears or rips. 
4. The contact lens color and design are as you expected. 

Our contact lenses come in blister packs or glass vials; you should have enough visibility to be able to check that the lenses meet your expectations. 

For hygiene reasons, we cannot accept returns on opened items, so be sure to follow these steps to check your lenses are right for you before opening them. 

If the lenses are incorrect or damaged, please contact us right away. If you are unsure, please don't hesitate to get in touch so that we can help support you.

How to prepare your contact lenses:

Always remember to wash your hands when handling contact lenses - after all, they’re going in your eyes! 

It’s also important to remember that the lenses are stored in a stronger saline solution to keep them sterile, which can irritate the eyes if you put the contact lenses in straight after opening; although you may be excited to try them out, it’s vital to let them soak for at least 2 hours in a clean case with fresh contact lens cleaning solution to avoid irritation. 

If you have reusable contact lenses, such as 30-day or 90-day contact lenses, then you should store the lenses in fresh contact solution each time. You also need to keep the lenses in an airtight container; this helps stop spillages as well as prevents the lenses from drying out. Before each wear, inspect them once again for any tears or rips. 

How to clean your contact lenses:

Even the thickest and most durable of these lenses are still thin and can easily tear during mishandling, so being gentle during handling is key. 

Carefully clean and then dry your hands before handling your lenses, including taking them out of your eyes and cleaning them. 

Squeeze one or two drops of your all-in-one multipurpose contact lens solution onto the lens and softly rub with your index finger for 15-20 seconds on both sides. This is to remove all potential debris from a full day's wear on the lens. Rinse with your cleansing solution before placing it in your contact lens case, filled with clean multipurpose solution. Be sure to use new contact lens solution rather than simply topping it up, as this can allow bacteria to breed. 

Soak your lenses overnight for at least 6 hours to achieve a full disinfection. 

Why are my contact lenses blurry?

If your contact lenses are blurry, the first step is to ensure that the lens has been inserted the correct way round (your lens should be U-shaped, with a gentle curve; if the lens is a V-shape, with a lip at the top, then it is inside out). 

If your contacts get blurry after a few minutes of wear, you can try blinking a few times to try and help the lens settle, as well as clean it. Sometimes, if your lenses become blurry during use, rewetting the contact lenses or hydrating your eyes can help fix blurry contact lenses. 

However, dry and irritated eyes can also be caused by overwearing your contact lenses. We only recommend wearing our lenses for 8 hours a day.

If only one lens is blurry, take that lens out and inspect it for damage or debris. If there is no damage to the lens, gently clean it before rinsing the lens and reinserting it. You should only ever rinse your lenses with multipurpose contact lens solution, as tap water could introduce bacteria to the lenses. 

If your vision remains blurry after checking and cleaning the lenses, we recommend taking the lenses out.

Some styles of lenses do cover the pupil, such as our blind contact lens range or the enhancing contact lenses. As these lenses do not have a clear pupil hole, they can impact your vision to varying degrees. With the blind lenses, you will have severely obstructed vision, whereas with the enhancing tint lenses, you will likely only experience a small amount of blurriness as the tint also covers the pupil. This may make it seem like you have cloudy contact lenses, as the film of color impacts your view. If you are wearing contact lenses that impair your full field of vision, DO NOT drive and be cautious when in open spaces. 

Your peripheral vision may also be affected by wearing contact lenses, as the color around the edge of your eye can create a halo or tunnelling effect. 

Allergies can also cause the eyes to water excessively, which can cause your contacts to move around or not stay in place due to the increased amount of water.

How to prevent discomfort when wearing contact lenses:

• Always wash your hands before handling your contact lenses.
• Avoid touching or rubbing the eye whilst wearing your lenses.
• Do not swim, shower or bathe when wearing your lenses; you should not submerge your face in water. 
• Always carefully check your lenses before inserting them. 
• Only wear your lenses for up to 8 hours at a time. 
• Allow your lenses to soak for at least 2 hours in fresh solution before wearing them; for a full disinfection, allow them to soak overnight. 

If you ever experience serious discomfort when wearing contact lenses, you should instantly remove them. If you are concerned about a possible infection, we recommend booking an appointment with your doctor. 

If you experience discomfort when wearing your lenses, please get in touch right away with our customer service team so that we can help and support you throughout the situation.

For more tips and tricks, as well as key information on how to insert and remove your contact lenses comfortably and safely, check out the rest of our guides and tutorials.