How to Remove Contact Lenses with Cotton Swabs

Co-authored by David Felsted, DO and Dan Hickey

Last Updated: May 29, 2022 References

If your nails are long or you don’t like touching your eye with your fingertips, you’re probably wondering how to remove your contact lenses. Thankfully, it’s easy to use an ordinary cotton swab to take out your lenses safely and quickly. We’ve put together a step-by-step guide to removing your contact lenses with a cotton swab, plus how to clean and store your lenses for maximum protection. Read on to take out your lenses with confidence!

1

Wash your hands.

Thoroughly scrub your hands with soap and hot water to kill germs. Bacteria from your hands can hop to your contact lens case and then to your contacts, leading to infection or irritation in your eyes. Dry your hands well with a clean, lint-free cloth.^{[1]
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
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- As a rule, always wash your hands before handling contact lenses.^{[2]
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  Trustworthy Source
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
  Go to source}

2

Prep your contact lens case.

Rinse and rub the interior of your case with contact solution to clean it. If there’s old contact solution sitting in the case, dump it out (reusing or “topping off” old solution can result in infection). Dry the case with a clean tissue.^{[3]
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Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
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- Use the contact lens solution recommended by your optometrist or eye care provider.
- Don’t use water to clean your case—it may contain particles or bacteria that can accumulate on your contact lenses.
- Anytime you get a new bottle of contact solution, throw away your old case and get a new one to decrease your chance of getting an infection (most bottles of solution come with a case).

3

Apply eye drops.

Add a few drops of saline solution to both eyes before lens removal. Tilt your head back and use your non-dominant hand to hold your eyelids open. With your dominant hand, gently squeeze 1 or 2 drops of saline solution into your eye. Release your lids and blot any excess solution with a clean tissue.^{[4]
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- Saline solution hydrates the contacts and your eyeballs, which makes it easier to slide the contacts out and reduces your risk of corneal abrasion.

4

Grab a clean cotton swab.

Once your eye drops have settled, bend a fresh cotton swab in half. Use a double-ended swab with a cotton bud on each end. After bending, the 2 cotton buds should be lined up and the swab should look like a pair of tweezers or chopsticks.^{[5]
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- Always use a clean cotton swab each time you remove your contacts (reusing the same one makes it more likely you’ll spread bacteria to your eyes).
- Alternatively, bend the swab into 3 sections (2 grabbing sections and a middle section between them) to help your grip if necessary.^{[6]
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5

Dip the ends of the swab in contact solution.

Moisten both cotton buds so they are more compact and less fibrous. This makes it less likely that a cotton fiber will stick to your contacts or get in your eye when you take them out. It will also help you get a good grip on the lens.^{[7]
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- This step is optional, but helpful!

6

Begin with the same eye each time.

Pick an eye to start with to keep track of your left and right lenses. Your contacts aren’t interchangeable and might have different prescriptions, so you’ll want to keep them straight. It doesn’t matter which eye you choose—the right or the left will work fine.^{[8]
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American Optometric Association
Professional medical organization dedicated to supporting optometrists and improving public eye and vision health
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7

Look straight ahead.

Face forward without angling your head up or down. If you’re new to contact lenses, standing or sitting in front of a well-lit mirror is a good idea. If it’s helpful, look slightly upward with just your eyes before you grab the lenses—it’s usually easier to grip the bottom third or half of the lens than the exact center.^{[9]
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8

Raise the cotton buds up to the contact lens.

Grip the swab in your dominant hand and place the buds on opposite edges of the lens. Some people can hold their eye open with only their facial muscles. If you’re struggling to stop blinking, use your non-dominant pointer finger and thumb to hold your eyelids apart while you operate the swab.^{[10]
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- It takes a while to get used to the sensation of touching your eye. Be patient and stay optimistic while you navigate this process for the first time!

9

Pinch the buds together.

Gently press the buds together on the lens to get a secure grip. This motion mimics the way you would use your fingertips to remove the lens. After the lens folds in on itself between the buds, carefully pull the lens away from your eye and voilà! You’ve successfully removed your contact lens.^{[11]
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- If the lens is folded but you lost your grip on it, blink a few times to help push it out of your eye.
- If you’re struggling to get a good grip on it, use one end of the swab to gently drag the contact off the cornea and down onto your sclera (the white part of your eye).

10

Rub the contact lens clean.

Rub the lens with contact solution between your pointer finger and thumb. This is the best way to get rid of any deposits or bacteria that built up on the lens before you store it. This will also remove any swab fibers that might have stuck to the lens during removal.^{[12]
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Trustworthy Source
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
Go to source}
- Rub your lenses clean after every removal to make them last longer and protect your eye health.
- Only use a contact lens disinfecting solution to clean them. Water or saliva aren’t sterile and will actually put more germs onto your lens.^{[13]
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  Trustworthy Source
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
  Go to source}

11

Put the lens in your contact case.

Drop the contact into your case and fill the well with fresh contact solution. Contact cases are usually marked “left” and “right” (or “L” and “R”) to help you keep track of which lens is which, so make sure to put it in the correct well. Securely twist or snap the lid of the well shut.^{[14]
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American Optometric Association
Professional medical organization dedicated to supporting optometrists and improving public eye and vision health
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- Read the instructions on the contact solution bottle or packaging to find out how long you should keep your lenses stored.
- Once your first contact lens is secured in the case, you can repeat this process with your other eye.

Warnings

Using a foreign object, like a cotton swab, to remove your contacts increases the chance of bacteria getting into your eye and causing an infection or irritation. If possible, using your clean fingertips is the safest removal method.

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