Why are my contacts doing this?

I haven’t worn them for years, but at the time I did it was necessary to go through a period of acclimation, wearing them for a short time, then progressively longer each day. I don’t know if the newer materials make that unnecessary – you may be reacting not to the lens, but to the particular hydrator in which it has been soaking.

The way you say the pain was sharp makes me think it’s physically irritating your eyeball. The contact could have ripped, or you may have a piece of dust trapped between it and your eyeball. Contacts should leave no real feelings, although when I wore mine I was more susceptible to having dry eyes and my eyes sort of felt muggy or covered, like when you wear a sweater in hot weather. If you feel sharp pains you should immediately take your contacts out and try a new pair to determine if it’s the contact that is the problem or if it’s your eye that’s the problem. It could also be that your cornea has gotten scratched and the saline solution is causing your eye to sting for a bit. Try a different pair of contacts, and if the pain continues go back and talk to your eye doctor.

I agree with @dynamicduo The only time my contacts sting is when there is dirt/dust on them or when they have been damaged. It also hurts when you put them in inside-out (only for soft contacts).

@dpworkin Yes, that’s what I’ve been doing, wearing them progressively longer for each day.

@dynamicduo Thanks for the advice!

Yeah, that happens to mine as well.

I think your problem is that you may not be cleaning them well enough or washing your hands well enough before you put them in or take them out. There was a time before where I forgot to wash my hands before putting them in, and when I did I was uncontrollably crying. Turns out I had been chopping onions beforehand and a lot of onion residue just got transferred over.

Not quite sure where that was going, but I guess what I was trying to say is just to wash your hands thoroughly and clean the contacts well before you put them in or take them out because they really are magnets for dirt, grime, and onion juice.

After wearing contacts daily for about 8 years, my eyes rejected my contacts. I kept them clean, got new pairs as needed, my eyes just didn’t want them anymore. It felt just like you are describing. I had to take about a year off from contacts before I could wear them again. If you are sure they are cleaned properly, speak to your eye doctor about them, It could also be that they aren’t sized properly.

If you are using an enzyme solution for cleaning (w/ gray disc in bottom of container), make sure you are leaving them in the solution for the minimum length of time. Also, rinse with saline before putting them in even if the solution says you don’t need to.

Stinging and sharpness are both a result from not washing your hands well enough before you put them in. Or the enzyme solution is not effective.