# I can't get my contact lens out **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 23, 2008, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-my-contact-lens-out/474073 "2008-11-23T04:40:46Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-my-contact-lens-out/474073/21 "2008-11-24T15:10:43Z")
25 years ago or so when I first got hard lenses, they gave me a little suction cup/plunger thing to help get them out. After a late night at the bars, I just couldn’t get one les out no matter how I blinked. So I found the plunger, moistened it, and fastened it to the lens. The damned thing was really stuck on there, because I had to pull pretty hard on the plunger before it would disengage with an audible “SNAP.” Determined, I repeated it many a time. Sometimes the SNAP would be preceded by a series of streaks of light. After 10-20 attempts, I decided to take a good look at my (now red) eyeball and see if I could figure out how it was stuck on so firmly. When what should I see way down in the corner of my eye…? No torn cornea, but definitely not an UL. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-my-contact-lens-out/474073/22 "2008-11-24T15:11:34Z")
> [@SP2263](#): > > My contact did that the other day but it somehow jumped into the inner corner of my eye. It’s hard and tinted slightly to make it easy to find and I could only see about a third of it. Luckily I have teeny suction cup thingy or else I don’t know how I would have gotten it out, it would probably damage my eye if I slid it over. OMG! I used to have the teeny suction cup thingy and it yellowed with age and got a little stiff and I threw it out, thinking I’d just pick up another one at the store and now I can’t find one anywhere!!! No one seems to know what I’m talking about, not even eye doctors. My kingdom for a teeny suction cup thingy! ☹ ---
**Author:** ![I\_Have\_Hippos\_In\_My\_Garden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/4491bb/32.png) [@I\_Have\_Hippos\_In\_My\_Garden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/I_Have_Hippos_In_My_Garden)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-my-contact-lens-out/474073/23 "2008-11-24T19:01:22Z")
> [@](#): > > Um, not to be rude, but is there more to this? You are not being rude, I don’t mind people on here asking questions about it. I have mental health problems and for the past year have drunk antifreeze, neat, as a form of self harm. Subsequently I have had kidney and liver problems and damage to my eyes. ---
**Author:** ![Zulema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/db5fbb/32.png) [@Zulema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zulema)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-my-contact-lens-out/474073/24 "2008-11-24T20:04:55Z")
Suction Cup Thingy; [http://west-op.com/dmvsticproof.html](http://west-op.com/dmvsticproof.html) Or try the vision clinic attached to a hospital or large clinic. **Dinsdale** , EEEEEEEEK! I think I might faint. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-my-contact-lens-out/474073/25 "2008-11-24T20:37:04Z")
> [@SP2263](#): > > Suction Cup Thingy; > > [http://west-op.com/dmvsticproof.html](http://west-op.com/dmvsticproof.html) SQUEEEEEEEEEEEE! Thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 9:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-my-contact-lens-out/474073/26 "2008-11-24T21:05:52Z")
> [@I\_Have\_Hippos\_In\_My\_Garden](#): > > You are not being rude, I don’t mind people on here asking questions about it. > > I have mental health problems and for the past year have drunk antifreeze, neat, as a form of self harm. Subsequently I have had kidney and liver problems and damage to my eyes. Wow, babe. Holy crap. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2008, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-my-contact-lens-out/474073/27 "2008-11-24T21:09:47Z")
> [@I\_Have\_Hippos\_In\_My\_Garden](#): > > You are not being rude, I don’t mind people on here asking questions about it. > > I have mental health problems and for the past year have drunk antifreeze, neat, as a form of self harm. Subsequently I have had kidney and liver problems and damage to my eyes. Can I suggest verbal abuse instead? We have a Pit here that might be just to your liking. 😛 (Seriously: ☹ ) ---
**Author:** ![Meyer6](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@Meyer6](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Meyer6)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 2:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-my-contact-lens-out/474073/28 "2008-11-25T02:10:04Z")
I hate the contact behind the eye phenomenon. One, about 10 years ago, this happened and I was looking in the mirror trying to poke and prod the eyelid, and move my eye around until I could get the thing out. Finally I saw the little blue edge of it, got it between my fingers, and pulled it slowly. And with it came a foot-long, jet black hair. At the time I had short, light brown hair, so it definitely wasn’t mine. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-my-contact-lens-out/474073/29 "2008-11-25T02:23:49Z")
Ugh, these stories are killing me. I had to go to the eye doctor today because yesterday I was putting up ceiling tile and a small chunk of it managed to get lodged deep up inside my eyelid. Took the eye doctor four tries to get it out. He said the damage to my eye was “not superficial, but not deep either.” Still feels like somebody socked me right in the eye hole, though. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-my-contact-lens-out/474073/30 "2008-11-25T03:07:54Z")
Should this happen again, I suggest taking a metal spoon and scraping your eyeball up inside the cavity. It might not get it out, but the ferocious pain will make you forget you lost your contact. ---
**Author:** ![Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/a698b9/32.png) [@Rascal\_s\_Mom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rascal_s_Mom)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-my-contact-lens-out/474073/31 "2008-11-25T03:27:34Z")
You owe me a keyboard. ---
**Author:** ![lizardling](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f4b2a3/32.png) [@lizardling](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lizardling)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 3:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-my-contact-lens-out/474073/32 "2008-11-25T03:42:49Z")
I’ve heard about the drunk guy story before and just thinking about it makes me literally shriek and flail. I’ve worn lenses before – soft disposables – so I’m not new to sticking a finger in my eye, but that sort of thing… :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Daffyd](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/daffyd/32/8923_2.png) [@Daffyd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daffyd)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2008, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-my-contact-lens-out/474073/33 "2008-11-25T04:11:35Z")
Oh my GOD… Please let me sleep tonight after reading this… So far, 22 years of contacts, no problems yet… Slinks off into corner to hide and take out his soft contacts… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-cant-get-my-contact-lens-out/474073.md?page=1)