If you wear contact lenses or are thinking about getting them, there are a few things you need to know. And one of the most important and common questions people ask is: can you cry with contact lenses in?

You can cry with contact lenses in. Although contacts will not be damaged by your tears, if you rub your eyes when you are crying, the contact lenses may be dislodged and either get stuck in the corner of your eyes or even fall out. 

In this article, we are going to find out just what happens if you cry with contact lenses in, as well as how to avoid dislodging or losing your contacts when you cry and a whole lot more! Keep reading; everything you need to know is right here. 

What Happens When You Cry With Contact Lenses In?

The first thing to understand is that it is perfectly safe to cry with contact lenses in! 

As you probably already know, contacts actually need moisture. Although of course you should use a contact solution if your contacts are getting dry throughout the day, your tears can lubricate your contacts as well.

You can cry with contact lenses in, but there are three situations that can occur:

  • The contacts stay in place. 
  • They dislodge in your eye. 
  • The contacts fall out of your eye. 

Now, let’s learn about when and why each of these situations might happen and how to avoid displacing your contacts when you cry. 

Contacts Will Stay in Place

Usually, when you cry with contacts in, nothing will happen. However, in order to ensure this occurs, you have to be careful not to rub your eyes. 

If you simply let the tears fall, you should have no problems with your contacts, as the tears are not actually unsafe for contacts at all! 

Because luckily, the technology used to create contacts makes them able to withstand the moisture that emits from your eyes. 

Contacts Dislodge in Your Eye

But it’s important to note that if you are truly sobbing and shutting your eyelids too tightly or blinking constantly, the contacts may be dislodged. 

This often occurs when you are crying uncontrollably and forget there are contacts in your eyes. 

If your contact gets dislodged in your eye, you will know right away as it will be fairly uncomfortable. Usually, the contact will get stuck above the eye or in the outside corner.

If this happens to you, you need to wash your hands and get the contact out of your eye. Then wash the contact in solution and put it safely back in where it belongs. 

Contacts Fall Out of Your Eye

Finally, your contact may actually fall out of your eye when you are crying. This situation usually doesn’t happen naturally, but only if you are rubbing your eyes with your hands or a tissue as you cry. 

When a contact falls out of your eye, once again, you will usually notice right away. If you have daily contacts, you may want to simply dispose of the lost contact and put in a fresh one when you are done crying. 

However, if you use weekly or monthly contact lenses, you will certainly want to locate the contact. Just remember, you need to thoroughly wash your hands and the contact before returning it to your eye. 

How to Keep Your Contacts Safe While Crying

As you now know, it is completely safe to cry while wearing contact lenses. However, there are a few things you should do in order to keep them safe:

  • Never rub your eyes when wearing contact lenses. If you do need to use a tissue or handkerchief to dry your eyes, you should pat instead of rub. 
  • Try to keep your eyelids calm. Forcibly shutting or blinking incessantly could dislodge your contact causing irritation, so it’s important that you just let the tears flow freely. 
  • If your contacts do move or fall out when crying, you need to be certain your hands and the contacts are clean before moving or putting them back into place. 

At the end of the day, crying shouldn’t cause any problems for your contact lenses. But now you know how to ensure your contacts stay in place and clean when crying! 

The Bottom Line

So, can you cry with contact lenses in? Yes, for the most part! And as promised, you are now an expert at crying with contact lenses and know absolutely everything there is to know about doing so.