How to Use Contact Solution as Eye Drops

Contact lenses must be handled with care and can only be exposed to the natural fluids in your eyes, eye drops specially designed for contact lenses, and contact solution, according to the Mayo Clinic. If you need eye drops but are unable to obtain them, you can use saline contact solution in place of eye drops in a pinch, according to the Eye Care Sourcebook.

Close up of woman putting lens into eye. (Image: b-d-s/iStock/Getty Images)

Step 1

Transfer a small amount of your contact solution to an eye dropper. According to The Eye Care Sourcebook, a contact solution bottle typically does not allow you to dispense a single drop, which is necessary when administering eye drops.

Step 2

Hold the eye dropper a few inches above your eye as you would a bottle of eye drops.

Step 3

Squeeze the eye dropper gently to dispense one to three drops, which is the typical dose of eye drops, according to Eye Care Sourcebook.

Step 4

Blink your eye several times to distribute the contact solution throughout your entire eye.

Step 5

Reevaluate your eyes after three to five minutes, which is the amount of time The Eye Care Sourcebook states it will take for your eyes to completely benefit from the contact solution. If your eyes are still dry, readminister one to two drops of contact solution.

Things You'll Need

• Contact solution

• Eye dropper

Warning

Make sure that you do not use contact cleansing solution, which should never be placed directly in the eyes.