Video:How to Tell if Contacts Are Flipped Inside Out
with Dr. Stephen RozenbergDetermining if your contact lenses are flipped backwards can be tricky. Learn three easy ways to see if your contacts are in the correct position before you try putting them on.
Transcript:How to Tell if Contacts Are Flipped Inside Out
Hello, this is Doctor Stephen Rozenberg from 10/10 Optics in New York City for About.com. I'm going to give you some information on how to tell if a soft lens is inside out.Tips for Inserting Contact Lenses
Always try not to get your fingerprint on the inside of a contact lens. This traps oil and skin cells between the lens and cornea and can lead to less comfortable wearing. Place the soft lens on your thumb and hold it in front of you and tilt it so that the front edge of the lens is lined up visually with the edge of the lens farther away from you.Flipped Contact Lens Edge Test
Look at the edge of the lens to the right and left. When the lens is right side up the edges will look a little rounder. When the lens is reversed the edges will look sharper like they're going away from the center of the lens.Flipped Contact Lens Squeeze Test
In addition, while the lens is on the thumb, if you put your one index finger on the right edge of the lens and the other index finger on the left end of the lens and push the two edges towards each other as if you were going to close the edges like a clam then when the lens is correct the two sides of the lens will curve towards each other. When the lens is reversed, the two sides of the lens will bend against the direction the fingers are pushing. Make sure the lens is not too wet when you do this.Flipped Contact Lens Light Test
Another way to tell if a soft lens is inside out is to again put it on your thumb and try to let light bounce off the edge of the lens. The front of the lens has a continuous curvature from center to edge. And you can see the texture of the lens is uniform. The inside of the lens gets flatter towards the edge of the lens and there's a ring going around the edge of the lens in a circular direction that looks like it has a different grain and the light shines off of it differently. The smooth textured side is the outside of the lens, while the inside of the lens is a different grain just below the edge of the lens.Thanks for watching. To learn more, visit us on the Web at About.com.
