Long nails are a symbol of femininity for a long time now. Before tips and acrylics, it was rather hard to grow your nails out to the desired length.
Nowadays, all you have to do is book a salon appointment and that’s about it. In an hour or two, you will get pretty, long nails – looking just like you want them!
However, there are a few downsides to having truly long nails. If your nails are longer than, let’s say half an inch (and often they can be), lots of usual things can become unbearable or just tough to do.
For example, it can be super hard to pick up loose change from the counter. Typing on your phone can result in numerous typos until you get used to the nails.
What’s more – getting your contacts out. Until you came home and started preparing to call it a night, you didn’t think much of it. But now you have to – how to remove contacts with long nails?
Luckily, we have a few tips and tricks we are going to teach you. So, continue reading to find out how to remove contacts with long nails!
How To Remove Contacts With Long Nails?
When you start wearing contacts, it takes some getting used to at first. For most contact-wearing people, it’s a relief to have them.
It may seem like a lot of work at first, but it pays off. Once you start wearing them, you will feel the relief. Many people are opposed to wearing contacts because they believe they can get a lot of eye infections.
That’s simply not true – but you have to be careful around your eyes and the cleanliness of your contacts. If you pay extra good care of both, it’s not likely that you will get an eye infection.
On the other hand, removing contacts with long nails opens so many other risks when it comes to contacts. Since the nails are long, you can damage the contact or your cornea with the nail by accident.
So, if you’re beginning to wear contacts, we’d advise you to get rid of the long nails until you figure out your way around contacts. It can be too hard at first, and you may end up hating contacts for no reason.
And there is no real reason why would you hate wearing contacts – they are very convenient and easy to use – even if it doesn’t seem that way initially. For beginners, it would be best to keep your nails clipped for a while, but later on, there is no reason why you should give up wearing acrylics altogether!
Having said that, there are a few methods of removing contacts we found for you to make your life easier. We recommend that you try all of the methods before you settle on one that works best for you!
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Method #1: Pinching
- The pinching method is by far the most popular method of removing contacts from eyes. This is an especially easy method for people wearing long acrylic nails.
- The pinching method consists of using two fingers to remove the lens in a pinching manner. Most people use both index fingers for this method, but you can use any two fingers you feel comfortable with.
- Try out different combinations to get a better feel of what works best for you. There is no right combo – only the one that gives you the feeling of control.
- It’s important to remember to use only your fingertips and not your nail. The end of your nail is sharp enough to damage the contact lens or even your cornea.
- When you get close to your eye – place each finger on one end of the contact, left and right. Then, gently push fingers toward each other – towards the center of your eye. There is no need to use force – with a gentle push, the lens will pop outwards.
- Don’t be forceful because you can break the contact lens. It may seem soft, but it can break nonetheless. When the lens pops, hold it between your fingers.
- Make sure the lens doesn’t fold or touch the opposite side of the lens. Pull the lens towards the end of your eye and then pull it out of your eye. Place the contact into the box and that’s it!
- Furthermore, if you’re worried that you can’t do it with your fingers, you can consider using a Q tip. All you have to do is fold the Q tip twice so it looks like the letter U.
- Then, use it in the same manner as you would use your fingers. Make sure you’re still gentle, so you don’t damage the lens!
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Method #2: Rolling
- The rolling method is also fairly popular – and sometimes it can be even easier than the pinching method. The pinching method is easy once you get the hang of it, but the rolling method seems easier to get a grasp of – and it can be more comfortable.
- First, place your fingertip on the contact lens. Slowly and gently push the lens downward, motioning the contact towards the white of the eye.
- Then, push the lens until it reaches the lower eyelid and use your finger to guide the contact lens towards the lens. If you’ve pushed it far enough, the lens should roll over.
- Once the contact lens rolls over, it will be pushed out. The manner is the same as when you get an eyelash in your eye – and now it’s easy to extract the lens from your eye.
Important Things To Remember About Contact Lenses
When you’re inexperienced in wearing contacts, you will have a few things to keep in mind. The most important thing is hygiene.
Make sure you’re always using clean hands to take care of your contacts and your eyes. Furthermore, make sure that your contacts case is clean and that the solution in it is always fresh.
Handle your contacts in a well-lit room. Removing the contacts would be the easiest in front of a mirror.
At first, it’s completely normal that you have difficulties removing contacts. You will have a feeling your eye is unstable and that it runs away from the center.
When your eye shifts, the contact will shift as well. To start, practice keeping your eye steady so it doesn’t move when you want to remove the lens.
Contacts should be replaced every three months. When they are reaching their expiration date, check them out for damage. If you see any scratches or else, toss them out and order a new pair – you shouldn’t wear them now!
Contacts usually have a 3-month life span. On the other hand, you should always check the box to see if they last less than that – some contacts are only good for 2 weeks!
Don’t push the expiration date too far – the contacts will inevitably be damaged after a while, especially if you wear your nails extra long. It could result in some annoying eye infections, which can be pesky to get rid of!
Additional tip: many people do remove their contacts over the sink – because the best lit room in the house is the bathroom. So, if you do – plug the sink until you secure your contacts in the contacts case. This will avoid getting your contact damaged or worse, lost down the drain.
How To Remove Contacts With Long Nails? – Bottom Line
To conclude, it can be difficult to remove contacts with long nails. Long nails can result in damaging your contacts and having to toss them out.
Moreover, it can result in a scratched cornea. Who had a scratched cornea once, knows what we’re talking about. It can be irritating to blink, let alone work or do pretty much anything.
We listed two methods that work well when removing contacts with long nails. The pinching method is easy once you get the hang of it, and you can even use a Q tip for help.
The rolling method is the favorite method for all beginners – because it’s fairly easy at first. However, you should try both methods to figure out which one works best for you.
All in all, be careful and use clean hands when removing contacts. Keeping everything clean is the most important thing when preventing eye infections!
