What should I do if a broken piece of a contact lens is still in my eye?

If you can see the piece and it is large enough to be pinched out with your fingers (eg half or more of a contact lens), you could try carefully doing that.

If it is a tiny fragment (eg 1-2mm diameter), you could try washing it out with a saline rinse of the eye.

You need to go to an accident and emergency department or eye clinic if:

1. It doesn't fit in any of the above categories,
2. It doesn't come out with the above methods or
3. Your eye feels persistently irritated

A doctor there will carefully look for the fragment and if there is one present, remove it with a special pair of fine forceps.

Do not try too hard, and do not try to remove it if you cannot clearly see the contact lens/fragment. Trying to remove a lens that you cannot clearly see risks scratching your eye (cornea +/- conjunctiva).

I would recommend removing it safely and expediently. You may try to irrigate the fragment out with normal saline, or tap water if that is handy.

If you still fail to remove the fragment, then consider a review by your attending Ophthalmologist who will assist with this. Very frequently, patients continue to experience a persistent foreign body sensation due to trauma to the ocular surface that is induced whilst trying to remove the "fragment".

A review by your Ophthalmologist will help to confirm this, and if the fragment is no longer present, he will be able to reassure you of that fact.