How Do Contact Lenses Stay in Place?
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What Are Contacts?
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Contacts, thin plastic lenses that are placed directly on the eyes, are a popular option for people with less than perfect vision who do not like to wear prescription eyeglasses. Today's contact lenses are very comfortable to wear and can solve most vision problems. They have been improved drastically in recent years and are now designed to let quite a bit more air pass through the lens. This helps improve eye health and enables contacts to be worn for an extended period of time.
Water Sticks to Water
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Soft lenses are design to absorb water. Because of that, they have a very high water content. Water molecules are attracted to each other so the tears in your eyes (or artificial tears in the form of saline solution) hold the contacts in place when you put them in your eyes. Contact lenses are drawn to the wettest surface, which is why it is difficult to insert a contact lens into a dry eye. A drop of saline solution will wet the eye enough to enable the contact lens to stick to the eye.
Creating a Vacuum
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Once a contact is inserted into the eye, a mild vacuum is formed that holds the contact to the eye despite any movement of the eye. If the vacuum is broken by rubbing the eye, the contact is likely to fold and feel uncomfortable. Periodic drops of saline solution will keep the contact lenses moist and comfortable. Avoid rubbing the eyes as much as possible while wearing contact lenses. If you do need to rub them, be prepared with saline solution to reinsert the contact lenses if necessary.
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