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    Wearing guide

    Dropped your scleral lens?

    It happens to almost every wearer at some point. Here's how to find it, pick it up without damaging it, and get it safely back in your eye.

    By the Scleral Lens Team · Updated October 2, 2026 · 3 published sources cited

    The short answer

    Stop moving and look before you step. Pick the lens up gently, then don't put it straight back in: rinse it with fresh solution and clean and disinfect it fully, never with water. Check it for chips or cracks before wearing it again. If it's damaged, wear your glasses and call your fitter.

    Before you start

    Time: Allow time for a full clean and disinfection before you wear the lens again.

    • A flashlight or your phone's light
    • Your removal plunger
    • Your daily cleaner, disinfecting solution, and a clean case
    • Your glasses

    Step by step

    1. Freeze

      Don't move your feet or chair until you've found the lens. A rigid lens can crack under a shoe.

    2. Find it

      Shine a light low across the counter or floor. The lens catches the light.

    3. Pick it up gently

      Use your removal plunger on the outside of the lens, or slide it to the edge of the counter. Don't pinch it or scrape it with a fingernail.

    4. Don't put it straight in

      A dropped lens has picked up whatever was on that surface. It needs a full clean and disinfection first.

    5. Clean and disinfect

      Rub it with your daily cleaner, rinse with fresh solution, and disinfect it in a clean case according to the label. Never use tap water.

    6. Inspect it

      Hold it up to the light and look for chips, cracks, or scratches before you wear it.

    7. Wear glasses meanwhile

      If you need to see in the meantime, wear your glasses until the lens is ready, or until a replacement arrives.

    These are general steps. If your fitter taught you differently, follow your fitter: your lens and eyes are theirs to know. Print the mirror cards to keep by your sink.

    Prevention is mostly setup

    Lay a towel on the counter and cover the sink drain every time you handle your lenses. Then a dropped lens lands softly and can’t go anywhere.

    Why not water

    The FDA advises never exposing contact lenses to any water, including tap, bottled, and distilled water, and never wetting them with saliva. Tap and distilled water have been linked to Acanthamoeba keratitis, a corneal infection that is hard to treat.[1]

    Clean and disinfect, every time

    A lens that’s been on a counter or floor should go through your full cleaning and disinfecting routine, following the instructions that came with your products.[1] Saline alone rinses; it doesn’t disinfect.

    Keep backup glasses current

    A dropped or damaged lens is one of the reasons the FDA recommends always having a backup pair of glasses with a current prescription.[3]

    If your eye is unhappy afterward

    If your eye is sore, red, or scratchy after wearing a lens that was dropped, take it out, don’t put it back in, and contact your eye care professional. Keep the lens in its case: they may want to look at it.[2]

    Common mistakes

    • Rinsing the lens under the tap.
    • Licking the lens or wetting it with saliva.
    • Putting a dropped lens straight back in your eye.
    • Wearing a lens with a chip or crack.
    • Running the faucet when a lens has gone near the drain.

    Common questions

    It fell in the sink. What now?

    Turn the water off and don't run it again. If the drain was covered, the lens should be in the basin: pick it up, then clean, disinfect, and inspect it. If it went down the drain, call your fitter about a replacement and wear your glasses in the meantime.

    It looks fine. Can I just rinse it with saline and put it back?

    Saline rinses but doesn't disinfect. A lens that's been on a counter or floor should be cleaned and disinfected according to your solution's instructions before it goes back in your eye.

    How do I get a replacement?

    Call your fitter. They have your lens design on file. Ask whether your fitting fee or a warranty covers replacements, and keep your glasses current for days like this.

    Keep going

    Guide

    The scleral lens daily routine

    Mornings: wash your hands, inspect and rinse the lenses, fill with preservative-free saline, insert, and empty and air-dry the case. Nights: remove over a towel, rub each side with your cleaner, and store in fresh solution, never topping off. Replace your case every three months.

    Guide

    How to remove a scleral lens

    Put a drop or two of artificial tears in your eye first. Then press the small removal plunger onto the lower third of the lens, never the center, until it grips, and pull outward. Do it over a towel, and clean the lens right away.

    Sources

    1. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Contact Lens Solutions and Products. fda.gov
    2. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Contact Lens Risks. Content current as of September 4, 2018. fda.gov
    3. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Everyday Eye Care (contact lenses). Content current as of December 4, 2023. fda.gov

    Last updated October 2, 2026. Found an error or a newer study? Let us know and we'll correct the page.