With clean hands open the right eye’s contact lens package and place it on your index finger of your most coordinated hand. You might be thinking, do contacts have a correct orientation to be put in? They actually do, which leads us to the next step.

Now we need to determine if the lens is inside out or not. There are a few methods to determine which way is the correct orientation. One way to check is to look at the shape as it sits on your finger. If it is cup shaped, it is the correct way. If it splays out flatter, it is actually inside out. Another way is the taco test. If you apply pressure at the edges of the lens and it resists rolling up (like a taco) then it is likely inside out. Lastly, many contact lenses have inside out markers which can be found on the contact lens itself. For example, many Acuvue branded contact lenses have a 123 etched at the edge of the lens. If the 123 can be seen in that order, it means the contact lens is in the correct orientation. If it is reversed, the contact lens is inside out.

Now that we have the lens the right way, the next step is to control the eyelashes and eyelids. These will be the biggest barrier to putting in contact lenses. First, hold the top lid up with the opposite hand. Next hold the bottom lid down with the middle finger of the hand holding the contact lens.

With the eyelids under control, it is time to put the contact lens on the eye. First, look up. Then place the contact lens on the white part of the eye with gentle pressure. After releasing the contact lens, be sure to look down, left, and right. Now you can let go of your eyelids. Blink normally.

Celebrate! You’ve just put a contact lens on your eye! Now we have to repeat all those same steps for the left eye.