Contact Lenses And Long Fingernails
by Dr. Michael Garin | Apr 30, 2021 | Contact Lenses
Long-nail lovers deal with a lot of daily inconveniences that other people just dont get. We need to be extra careful opening boxes, eating with our hands, getting into cars, and even going to the bathroom. It takes a while to get used to having these talons! Its sort of like other fashion sacrifices we make, including high heels and hair extensions. We learn to live with them and its worth it. But one aspect of long nails living often goes undiscussed, and that is the dilemma of dealing with contact lenses.
Wearing glasses is okay now and then, but for those of us who prefer the contact lens and long nail combo, we tend to run into problems. Lets review the best ways to take out contacts with long nails so that you can enjoy the best of both worlds without scratching yourself or going crazy.
A FEW TECHNIQUES TO TRY
Another technique, slightly more advanced, is the rolling method. Heres how it works:
CONTACTS MAY NOT LAST AS LONG
You can wear contact lenses and have long nails there are a lot of precautions to consider so you dont damage your eyes. If push comes to shove, shorten the nails on the index finger and thumb and keep the other nails long.
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Here are 12 hacks to make living with long nails a tiny bit more manageable.
How To Get Contacts Out With Long Acrylic Nails In 1988, she became the fastest. When i first started wearing them, it would take me a good half an hour to an hour to get them in. To take out your contact lenses when you have long nails, try pinching your fingers together to grip the lens. Give yourself a pat on the back, youve successfully removed your contact lenses with long nails. This one may seem obvious, but using your pointer and middle finger is easier than using your thumb to text on a phone. You should try to keep your nail length as natural as possible and if you can, have it professionally done to keep the natural shape of your nail.
How Do You Put In Contacts For The First Time
New to contact lenses? Weve got you covered. It might feel daunting to put in contact lenses, but all it takes is a bit of practice and patience. Its important to follow the hygiene advice your optician gave you and wash your hands thoroughly before handling contact lenses. Then, watch our handy step-by-step video tutorials a few times through and find the method that works for you.
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Is Taking Contact Lenses Out With Acrylic Long Nails Hard
Acrylic long nails are the only ones that can support contact lenses without experiencing any problems. You may be thinking that you will need to have your eyes checked as the nail may get contaminated and this may cause a case of infection.
However, you may also experience the same when you remove your lenses, especially if you do not take care of them properly. If the lenses are cleaned thoroughly using an appropriate solution before removing them, there should be no problem.
If you are planning to remove your lenses at home, it is important to practice safety precautions first. It is recommended that you wash your hands with soap and water prior to removing your lenses.
Washing your hands will prevent the transfer of bacteria and irritation to the eyes. You will need to sterilize the instrument you will use to remove your lenses in order to avoid spreading bacteria. You can purchase a lens sterilizer from any optical store or pharmacy.
Acrylic long nails are best suited for people who have problems with their hands and need to remove their contact lenses frequently.
You can use them to remove and replace your lenses as well as to clean them. You will not face any problems when it comes to hygiene. Once you are used to this, you will not have second thoughts when it comes to removing or replacing your lenses.
A Few Techniques To Try
Your first attempt at long-nail contact lens removal should be the pinching method. This approach uses your fingertips, and not your nail. Here is the basic idea:
- Push on the opposite sides of the contact lens using the index fingers on either hand. You can angle your nails so that they point away from your eyeball.
- This requires you to use the sides of your fingers or the tips just beneath the nail.
- The goal is to press the lens from either side so that it moves forward and comes out easily. Do not use too much pressure.
- Try a few different configurations of fingertips and various angles. Everyone will find a unique approach that works best for them.
The pinch method is popular because it can be learned quickly and doesnt cause much discomfort. Just make sure to keep track of those lenses and check them for scratches.
Another technique, slightly more advanced, is the rolling method. Heres how it works:
- Use the padded part of your fingertip to gently press the contact lens down to the lower eyelid. Keep the nail angled away from the eye.
- Keep pushing slowly but firmly until the lens comes into contact with the lower eyelid and you start to feel the resistance.
- Add a little bit of extra pressure, and the contact lens will roll out over the eyelid and out of the eye if done correctly.
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Should You Take Contacts Out With Acrylic Nails
Many people ask the question: should you take contacts out with acrylic nails? This is a great question, especially since a lot of people do not want to wear clear acrylic lenses. However, there are many reasons why you should consider doing this and some of them are listed below.
As you may already know, the main reason why you should not take your contacts out is because they can break or chip if too much pressure is applied on them while you are wearing them.
This might not sound very serious, but if you apply even a small amount of pressure when you are applying your contacts to your nails, the contact can break and chip.
If you really want to avoid having your lenses break or chip is because you want to go with an entirely different type of style for your acrylic nails. In fact, you may have to have several pairs of clear lenses in order to give you that complete look.
When you have multiple acrylic lenses, you will find that this is a lot easier to do than it used to be. Of course, if you break or chip your current lenses you will not be able to use these anymore until you can get a replacement.
The second reason that you should take contacts out is because over time the resin that makes up the contacts can start to wear down. Usually the reason behind this is because the lenses are rubbing against your skin every single time you take a contact in.
Getting Ready To Take Off Your Contact Lenses
Clean your contact lens case. Before you take off your lenses, make sure you clean and prepare your contact lens case.
- Remove all dirt from the box by rinsing it out. Do not use tap water. Tap water is safe to drink, but it is not completely sterile and may contain microorganisms that are harmful to the eye. Rinse your contact lens case with contact lens solution and not water.
- Wipe the box with a clean, lint-free cloth or let it air dry. It is preferable to let the box air dry, because this reduces the chance that bacteria and dirt particles will get into the box.
- Contact lens cases may only be used for three months. Then throw the box away. Keep track of how long youve had your box.
Bend over a suitable surface. There is a chance that you will drop your contact lenses. So, just to be sure, bend over a clean surface. If youre standing by the sink, make sure you put the plug in the drain so your contact lenses dont fall down the drain. Advertisement
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How To Take Out Contacts With Long Nails Reddit
From the first tipoff till the final buzzer, theres no busted bracket a breakfast baconator® or baconator® cant cure.Gel tends to be softer and more flexible.Get $0 delivery fee on wendys orders over $10with uber eats all day long all tournament long.How tf to take out contacts with long nails :
How to take out your contacts in 4 easy steps ensure your hands are clean and dry, and start with your right eye, then look up and carefully pull down your lower eyelid with your middle finger.However, dip powder tends to be more damaging to the nail, especially as it requires more difficulty in removing it.I generally put my forefinger flat on the eyeball, and use the thumbnail to pop the contact off.I recently started wearing contact lenses after having glasses for the last 5ish years.
I rubbed jalapeños on each nail.I used to just collapse into bed and take out my contacts and throw them at my trashcan, and i never died.I used to stress about it so much and i never thought id ever get used to them, but now its second nature to me.If you have blepharitis, the mayo clinic advises giving your contacts a few days off and using a warm compress to try to get rid of any crustiness and soothe irritation.
Its also harder and less flexible.Keep your fingernails neat and trimmed.Keep your nails neat and trimmed to reduce the risk of tearing them.Long time contacts wearer here:
Caring For Your Lenses
Caring for your lenses means, caring for your eyes. Learn about how to clean your lenses and what you can do to make sure you wear your lenses comfortably.
Cleaning contact lenses: Did you know that proper cleaning and rinsing of the contact lenses can eliminate over 90% of the harmful bacteria that may be on them?
An area which is important for you to comply with is proper lens care and maintenance. Its important to clean and take care of your lenses, so that the risk of eye infections is kept to a minimum. If you wear reusable lenses, youll need to adhere to the recommended cleaning routine to make sure your eyes stay in excellent condition.
We want to make sure your eyes stay happy and healthy wearing contact lenses. If youve got a question about your lenses, like how to put them in, take them out, or clean them have a look through our tips and advice.
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Precautions To Be Aware Of
Its important to practice caution when inserting and removing contact lenses, to avoid damaging your eyes. Here are some precautions to be aware of when taking out contact lenses:
- Dont pinch too hard. Although pinching the contact lens is one of the easiest ways to remove soft lenses, you risk tearing the lens if you pinch too hard.
- Be careful near your cornea. Eyes are extremely sensitive, especially to touching, poking, or scratching. When removing your lenses, try to avoid touching your actual eye.
- Mind your long nails. If you have long nails, you should be extra careful when removing your lenses to avoid scratching the lens or your eye.
- Always wash your hands. Bacteria can easily find its way to your eye from a dirty finger, which is why its crucial to clean your hands before removing or inserting contact lenses.
The most important thing is to just be as gentle as possible around your eyes when youre putting in and taking out contact lenses.
Contact lenses are a safe, popular alternative to glasses, especially when you practice good contact lens hygiene. However, you should schedule a visit with your eye doctor if you experience any of the following symptoms:
- eye pain
- blurred vision
- eye discharge
These symptoms may indicate an infection, damage to your cornea, or something else that requires medical attention.
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When Are Contact Lenses A Good Idea For Kids
One of the primary reasons for kids to switch to contacts is to make it easier for them to be physically active, says Daniel Rayman, an optometrist with an interest in childrens vision who practices in Richmond Hill and Bolton, Ont. Whether theyre active in sports or dance, having glasses on the face is inconvenient, he says. Not only are glasses more likely to get banged up during a soccer game, but the frames can get in the way of a childs peripheral vision. Kids who participate in sports and activities can switch to contacts every day, or just when they have games or practice. 3 common eye problems in kids: What you need to know
Some kids may also want to switch to contacts because they feel self-conscious in glasses, but Rayman says this is becoming less common, because so many funky frames are in style that many kids think its cool to wear glasses.
Contact lenses can also be a better option for some kids from a vision perspective. Christine Misener, an optometrist in Ancaster, Ont., says that contacts are a particularly good option for kids who have much worse vision in one eye than the other. With glasses, when you have one lens thats a lot stronger than the other, there can be some difference in image size between the two eyes that prevents the eyes from working well together as a team, she explains. It can be more comfortable and visually beneficial to consider contact lenses in that situation.
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To Take Your Lenses Out:
First you should wash, rinse and dry your hands, then follow these steps:
Look up and pull down your lower eyelid with
six hours.
Removing contact lenses can be a daunting prospect for first-time wearers.
Even long-time wearers can find adapting to something new a bit pesky. What can you do?
Relax! Everything gets easier once youve had some practice at itand that includes removing contacts. Dont fret if youre having a little trouble at first. Thats entirely normal.
To help out, here are some tips for removing your contact lenses that will make the process go a little smoother.
Best Practices Tips And Recommendations
The absolute most important thing to do before putting in and taking out your contacts with your long nails, is to not just clean but disinfect your hands and nails!
Human eyes are very susceptible to dirt and bacteria and sanitizing your hands is an absolute must!
Always begin by cleaning and preparing your contacts case. Make sure the container is free from any debris and fibres and do not use tap water. It is not sterile enough for cleaning and contains microorganisms that can be harmful to the eye.
Rinse your lens container with a special solution you can find in pharmacies. Wipe the case with a clean dry towel or better, let it air dry, as the towel can leave fibers.
One case can be used for three months the longest. After that you have to replace it with a new one.
Do not forget to properly wash your hands before you do anything else. Use soap and warm water and wash for at least 20 seconds.
To keep track, count until 20 at a natural pace. Dry your hands with a paper towel to minimise any debris leftovers.
Having good visibility is vital for a successful application and removal. You have to place the lens on the coloured part of your eye and no anywhere else.
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Dont Put Contact Lenses Down The Drain
An estimated 45 million Americans wear contact lenses. Based on one study, millions of those wearers could be clogging our waterways with their used contacts.
In 2018, an Arizona State University study of contact lens wearers found 15-20% of them were flushing their old contacts down the toilet or washing them down the sinks drain.
On a national basis, the researchers reported, that would amount to 1.8 billion to 3.36 billion lenses being flushed every year.
Put another way, that would translate into 20 to 23 metric tons of plastic trash winding up in our wastewater each year.
As noted by wellness website mindbodygreen.com, contact lenses dont biodegrade easily because theyre medical devices that are designed to withstand punishment.
Flushing contact lenses is particularly concerning because their size and flexibility allow them to slip through filters meant to keep nonbiological waste out of wastewater treatment plants, according to mindbodygreen.com.
Start By Practicing With Shorter Nails
Not to turn this into a PSA about the dangers of long nails, but you should know that safety is super important when taking your contacts out, especially with pointy acrylics.
Even if youve been taking contacts in and out of your eyes for years, long nails introduce a few new variables you should keep in mind.
First of all, long nails are cumbersome if youre not used to wearing them. You may not realize just how much nail length impacts your daily life, from typing to sleeping and everything in between. This goes for contact lens care as well.
You can be aware and conscientious of your nails in one moment, and then get distracted the next second, forgetting that you have talons on your fingers! Weve all done it, and the results can be embarrassing or painful.
Getting used to the new dimensions of your nails can be a challenge in itself. Stand in front of a mirror and practice for a few minutes to see just how much space you have to work with.
Us humans are not great with depth perception up super-close, so youll want to get a feel for how your long nails work around your eyes – just be careful!
Without getting too graphic, you can experience cornea scratches if you dont exercise caution, which can lead to a ton of discomfort and cause vision problems in the long term.
A thread from the insightful forum Quora added a few other consequences worth mentioning.
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