How to Remove Colored Contacts Without Panicking
The first time I tried to take out colored contacts, I stood in front of the bathroom mirror for fifteen minutes poking at my eyeball like an absolute amateur. My fingers kept slipping. The lens wouldn’t budge. I was convinced it had fused to my cornea and I’d be wearing purple contacts for the rest of my life.
Spoiler: it hadn’t fused to my cornea. I was just doing it wrong. Here’s how to get them out the right way, even if you’re panicking a little.
Step One: Calm Down. Seriously.
Your contacts are not stuck. I promise. What’s actually happening when a lens feels “stuck” is that it’s dried out a bit and it’s clinging tighter to your eye than it was when you put it in eight hours ago. That’s normal. HEMA+NVP hydrogel material at 38% water content holds moisture all day, but by hour eight or nine, the lens is naturally a little drier than it was at 8 AM.
Panicking makes everything worse. Your eyes water. Your hands shake. You blink harder which makes the lens settle deeper into place. Take a breath. Wash your hands. You’ve got this.
Step Two: Rewet First
Put a drop or two of contact lens solution directly into your eye. Blink a few times. Wait thirty seconds. A dry lens is stiff. A wet lens is flexible and slides right off. This one step fixes about 80% of “my lens won’t come out” situations. Our lens care guide covers which solutions work best.
Step Three: The Actual Removal
Look up toward the ceiling. Place the pad of your index finger on the lower half of the lens — not the center, the bottom edge. Slide the lens downward onto the white part of your eye. Now pinch gently between your thumb and index finger. The lens will fold slightly and come right off.
Do not pinch from the center of the eye. That’s the panicky move that gets you nowhere. Pinching the center just pushes the lens flat against your cornea. Slide down first, then pinch. Every time.
What to Do When It Actually Is Stuck
If you’ve tried the slide-and-pinch technique three times and the lens won’t move, stop. Your eye is irritated. Step away from the mirror for ten minutes. Let your eye produce some natural tears. Come back, rewet the lens again, and try once more. If it’s still not budging, your lens might be inside out and folded against your eye — which is annoying but not dangerous. Go to an eye doctor if you really can’t get it.
And yeah, if you tore your lens during removal — which happens, especially with cheap lenses that have thin edges — toss it. Our Berry Series and Earl Series are built with uniform thickness so they’re less likely to tear on removal. Still happens sometimes, but far less often.
After Removal: Clean Immediately
Don’t drop them in the case and walk away. Rinse them with fresh solution right after removing. Protein from your tears starts hardening on the lens surface within minutes. Tomorrow’s insertion will be uncomfortable if you skip this.
Read our storage guide for the full cleaning routine. It takes two minutes and it’s the difference between comfortable lenses tomorrow and irritated eyes at 10 AM.
Need a fresh pair? Browse FDA-registered lenses that actually come out when you want them to.