Whether it is a happy wedding, a sad film, or simply one of those days, crying with contact lenses in happens to every lens wearer at some point. The reassuring answer is that it is perfectly safe. Your lenses will not be damaged, and your eyes will not be harmed. This guide explains what actually happens when you cry with contact lenses in, what changes for coloured lenses specifically, and how to handle mascara and post-crying care.
Quick Answer
Yes, you can cry with contact lenses in. Tears will not damage soft contact lenses, including coloured lenses. Crying with contact lenses may cause temporary blurred vision or lens movement. Avoid rubbing your eyes. Blink gently, dab tears away with a clean tissue, and clean your lenses thoroughly after a heavy crying episode before your next wear.
Is It Safe to Cry with Contact Lenses In?
Crying with contact lenses in is not only safe but in some ways beneficial for lens comfort. Tears are the natural environment in which your lenses sit. Every soft contact lens depends on your tear film to stay moist, comfortable, and optically clear throughout the day. When you cry, you are producing more of the same fluid your lenses already work with. For a broader overview of how everyday activities interact with lens safety, our guide on contact lens safety covers the key principles.
Your eyes produce three types of tears: basal tears that continuously lubricate the eye surface, reflex tears triggered by physical irritants, and emotional tears produced in response to feelings. All three types are composed of water, proteins, lipids, and mucins. None of these components damage soft contact lenses. The College of Optometrists in the UK does not advise against wearing contact lenses when crying, and there is no clinical reason why emotional tears should require lens removal unless you experience discomfort.
What Happens When You Cry with Contact Lenses In
While crying with contact lenses in is safe, a few temporary side effects are worth knowing about so they do not catch you off guard during an already emotional moment.
Blurred or Cloudy Vision
The most common experience when crying with contact lenses in is a brief period of blurred or cloudy vision. The extra volume of tears increases the amount of proteins, lipids, and mucins depositing on the lens surface, creating a thin film over the lens. This is temporary and almost always clears with a few slow, deliberate blinks. If your vision remains cloudy after several blinks, the lens can be removed, rinsed with multipurpose solution, and reinserted to restore full clarity.
Lens Movement and Displacement
Extra moisture from crying lightly reduces the surface tension that holds a soft lens in its correct position on the cornea. In most cases the lens moves only slightly and settles back naturally within seconds. In heavier crying episodes, the lens may shift toward the inner corner of the eye or cling to the upper eyelid.
If you feel the lens has moved under your eyelid, close your eyes gently, look in the direction away from where you feel the lens pressing, and massage the eyelid softly with a clean finger to guide it back toward the centre of the eye.
The Single Most Important Rule: Do Not Rub Your Eyes
Rubbing your eyes while crying with contact lenses in is the most reliable way to dislodge or fold a soft lens. It is the instinctive response when tears blur vision, but it should be avoided entirely. Instead, use a clean tissue to dab tears away starting from the inner corner of the eye and moving outward. Slow blinks clear most blurring within seconds without any need to touch the eye.
Crying with Coloured Contact Lenses: What Is Different?
Crying with coloured contact lenses in works in exactly the same way as crying with clear soft lenses. The first concern many coloured lens wearers have is whether the pigment in the lens might bleed, wash out, or stain their eyes when exposed to tears. It will not. The colour in any quality coloured contact lens, including the full Bella range, is encapsulated between two layers of lens material.
It is entirely sealed from both the tear film and the eye surface. No amount of crying will cause the pigment to migrate out of the lens. For more on how coloured lenses interact with daily activities, our guide on wearing coloured contact lenses every day is a useful starting point.
What does remain true for coloured lenses is the same as for any soft lens: heavy crying may cause temporary blurring, possible lens shift, and, if you are also wearing eye makeup, the risk of mascara residue or eyeliner particles washing onto the lens surface. That last point is worth addressing separately, because it is the crying scenario that actually causes the most practical problems for coloured lens wearers.
Crying, Mascara, and Coloured Contact Lenses
The scenario that coloured lens wearers most commonly face is not just tears in isolation, but tears combined with eye makeup. When mascara runs during a crying episode, pigment particles are carried by the tear film and can deposit on the lens surface or, in some cases, beneath the edge of the lens. This causes irritation, a gritty sensation, and additional blurring that does not clear with blinking alone.
Managing this combination requires a slightly different approach from crying with contact lenses in and no makeup. For cleaning the lens after mascara exposure, our guide to choosing the right contact lens solution explains which solution types are most effective for removing protein and makeup deposits.
Dab, do not wipe. Use a clean tissue held at the inner corner of the eye and dab gently. A sweeping motion across the eye area drags mascara particles directly toward the lens.
If mascara reaches the lens. Remove the lens immediately, rinse it thoroughly with multipurpose solution, and reinsert a fresh lens if it is a daily disposable. For monthly or quarterly lenses, clean and soak the lens for at least four hours before reinserting.
For planned occasions with a high likelihood of tears. Weddings, graduations, and funerals are the most common situations where crying with contact lenses in and makeup on is predictable in advance. Daily disposable coloured lenses offer the most practical solution: a fresh pair goes in on the day, and if mascara or tears cause any deposit issue, the lens is simply discarded and replaced. No cleaning required, no risk of reusing a compromised lens.
For occasions where you want both style and simplicity, Bella Daily coloured lenses offer a single-use option with no post-event cleaning: Bella Daily Contact Lenses.
Post-Crying Lens Care: Step-by-Step
After any significant crying episode with contact lenses in, especially one involving makeup, a short post-cry routine keeps your lenses in good condition and your eyes comfortable for your next wear.
- Wash and dry your hands thoroughly. Always handle lenses with clean, dry hands. Emotional situations are often accompanied by face-touching, which increases the chance of transferring bacteria to the lens.
- Remove your lenses. Removing them promptly after crying with contact lenses in gives your eyes a rest and prevents any tear film deposits from drying onto the lens surface.
- Clean monthly or quarterly lenses. Rub each lens gently in the palm with a few drops of multipurpose solution. Rinse and soak in fresh solution for at least four hours. Do not skip rubbing, as it physically removes tear protein deposits that soaking alone does not fully address.
- Daily disposable lenses: discard. Crying with contact lenses in that are daily disposables is the lowest-maintenance scenario. Throw them away after the episode and start fresh the next time.
- Rest your eyes before reinserting. If your eyes feel puffy or red after crying, give them 20 to 30 minutes without lenses. Puffy eyelids can press on a lens and cause discomfort. Applying preservative-free rewetting drops before reinserting can help restore comfort more quickly.
If eye redness or irritation persists for more than a few hours after crying with contact lenses in, or if you experience any pain or changes in vision, contact your optician or call NHS 111. Persistent redness may indicate a lens deposit issue or the beginning of an eye irritation that warrants professional review.
When Should You Actually Remove Your Lenses Before Crying?
Most of the time, crying with contact lenses in requires no special action beyond dabbing your eyes and blinking. There are a few situations, however, where removing lenses before or during a crying episode is worth considering. If you know a situation is likely to involve significant tears and full eye makeup, removing lenses before the event and wearing glasses is the simplest approach to protecting both your lens hygiene and your makeup.
If you wear monthly or quarterly coloured lenses regularly, understanding how to replace them when needed is part of good lens hygiene. Our guide on how often to replace your contact lenses covers the full replacement schedule for different lens types.
You should also remove your lenses promptly if crying causes persistent lens discomfort that does not resolve after blinking and dabbing, if a lens becomes stuck and gentle manipulation does not free it, or if your eyes feel significantly red or painful rather than simply teary.
Final Thoughts
Crying with contact lenses in is one of those lens-wearing moments that sounds more complicated than it actually is. Your lenses are safe, your eyes are safe, and the tears are not going to damage anything. The main practical concerns are lens movement, vision blur, and mascara deposits for those who wear eye makeup. A gentle tissue dab, a few slow blinks, and a proper post-cry clean if needed is all that is required.
See more: Are Contact Lenses Safe? What UK Wearers Should Know
