What the kit is for
Most days, you won’t need it. The kit is for the times a lens has to come out or go back in when you’re away from your bathroom:
- A lens pops out or shifts and needs reinserting.
- Your eye feels dry or foggy and your fitter has told you a removal and refill is OK.
- Something gets in your eye and you need to take the lens out and store it safely.
- A lens is lost or damaged, and you need to see well enough to get home.
What to pack
| Item | Why |
|---|---|
| 4 to 6 sealed preservative-free saline vials | To refill a lens. Each vial is single-use: open a fresh one each time. |
| Spare removal plunger | To take a lens out cleanly. |
| Spare inserter | To put it back in. |
| Clean lens case | So a removed lens has somewhere safe to go. |
| Small bottle of approved solution | To store a removed lens. Original container only. |
| Glasses | Your backup if the lens can’t go back in. |
| Card with your fitter’s details | For you, or for someone helping you. |
The FDA recommends always having a backup pair of glasses with a current prescription in case of problems with your contact lenses.[1] Of everything in the kit, the glasses are the one thing never to leave out.
Where to keep kits
Keep one wherever you spend long stretches of time, or would be stuck without one: your everyday bag, your desk at work, your car, your gym bag. Some people keep one at a family member’s house too.
Carry an emergency card
Many emergency and urgent care staff have never removed a scleral lens. Keep a filled-in scleral lens emergency card in your wallet: it says what you wear, who fits your lenses, and how to remove one. It points staff to our removal guide for medical staff.
Keeping it safe to use
An emergency kit only helps if what’s in it is still safe.
- Check dates monthly. Don’t use solutions past their expiration or discard date.[2]
- Never decant. The FDA warns that transferring solution to smaller containers can affect its sterility and can lead to mistakes. Buy travel sizes.[2]
- Pack tools dry and clean, in a closed bag. Never rinse them with water.[2]
- Replace the case on the same schedule as your home case: every three months, or as directed.[3]
- Restock after each use, the same day.
Using the kit away from home
Wash your hands with plain soap and dry them completely before you touch a lens. If there’s no clean sink, it’s usually safer to leave the lens in, if it’s comfortable, or to store it in the case and wear your glasses until you can handle it properly. A lens that has touched a floor, counter, or anything else needs a full clean and disinfection before it goes back in your eye: see dropped lens. For a lens that keeps coming out, see lens pops out.
For a longer trip, you’ll want more than this. See traveling with scleral lenses.
Common mistakes
- Using a vial that was opened earlier.
- Carrying solution poured into a small unlabeled bottle.
- Packing tools wet or loose.
- Forgetting to restock after using the kit.
- Leaving out your glasses.
- Putting a lens that fell on the floor straight back in.
Common questions
Which solution should go in the kit?
Ask your fitter. If a lens comes out unexpectedly, you need something to store it in safely. Many people carry a small multipurpose solution for this, because it doesn't need a long neutralizing soak, but use only a product your fitter has approved for your lenses.
Can I keep the kit in my car?
Many wearers do. Check the storage directions on each product's label, and replace anything that's expired or looks different from usual.
My lens popped out and fell on the floor. Can I use my kit to put it back in?
Not straight away. A lens that's touched the floor needs a full clean and disinfection first. Store it in the case with fresh solution and wear your glasses. See our dropped lens guide.
Do I need artificial tears in the kit?
If your fitter has recommended a specific artificial tear, adding a few single-use vials is reasonable. Don't add drops your fitter hasn't approved.