Colored Contacts for Beginners: Your First Time Checklist
Walking out of the optometrist with your first pair of colored contacts feels like a small victory. Then you get home, open the blister pack, and realize you have no idea what to do next. Nobody tells you the order of operations. You just stare at the little plastic case and hope for the best.
Here’s the right order. Follow this and your first experience will be fine.
Before You Open Anything
Wash your hands. Soap, warm water, dry with a lint-free towel. Paper towels work. Bath towels leave fuzz on your fingers that transfers to the lens. Do this every single time you handle your lenses, not just the first time.
Lay out your supplies on a clean, flat surface. Lens case, fresh solution, a mirror. Bathroom counters are fine if they are dry. Do not set up over a sink with the drain open. Lenses have a supernatural ability to find open drains.
Opening the Blister Pack
Peel the foil seal back slowly. Do not tear it. The lens inside is floating in saline solution and you want to slide your finger under the lens, not fish around blindly. If the lens is stuck to the side of the blister pack, add a drop of solution to loosen it. Never use fingernails to pry a lens off the packaging.
Insertion: The Part Everyone Fears
Place the lens on the tip of your index finger. Check that it is not inside out — the edges should curve upward like a bowl, not outward like a saucer. Some Yilala lenses have a tiny handling tint to help you see which way the lens faces.
Use your other hand to hold your upper eyelid open. Pull your lower lid down with the middle finger of your lens hand. Look straight into the mirror — looking away makes your eye roll up and the lens miss. Place the lens on the center of your eye. Blink slowly a few times and let it settle.
Our full insertion guide walks through this in more detail.
The First Five Minutes
Your eye may water a little. Normal. Your blink reflex may fire a few extra times. Also normal. If the lens feels scratchy, remove it and reinsert. Sometimes a tiny air bubble gets trapped under the lens. A few slow blinks usually fix it. If something feels genuinely painful, take it out. Do not tough it out.
What to Expect Through the Day
Your eyes may feel slightly drier than usual the first time. Your brain is aware something is on your eye and you may blink more. By hour two or three, the sensation fades. HEMA+NVP hydrogel at 38% water content in Yilala lenses helps them settle quickly. By the end of the day, you will forget you are wearing them.
Ready to start? Browse all beginner-friendly colors.