Woman's Contact Lens Was Stuck In Her Eyelid for 28 Years The contact lens was embedded in the woman's eyelid After the accident, the contact was nowhere to be found and both she and her family assumed it had fallen out. 28 years later, the woman goes to the eye doctor because her eye has begun to swell and ache. The doctor notices that her eyelid droops a bit, but the woman was used to having a heavy eyelid. An MRI scan revealed a lump had formed under her eyelid. When surgeons went in to remove it,

Doctors remove contact lens unknowingly stuck in woman’s eyelid for 28 years

Dealing with contact lens can be a chore. They can be difficult to insert and can even get lost in your eyelid, according to a new report. 

» RELATED: CDC: Adolescent habits with contact lenses risk eye infection

Researchers from the United Kingdom recently published an article in the British Medical Journal that revealed how a contact lens became lodged in woman’s eye for 28 years. 

A 42-year-old Brit made a doctor’s appointment after her left eyelid had become swollen and droopy. She also noticed a bump, which she had noticed for six months. 

Once health experts examined her, they discovered that a “well-defined” cyst had grown, according to the authors. During the operation to remove it, they found a rigid contact lens, which is different from a soft or hard contact.  

The woman initially could not recall how the lens had gotten stuck in her eyelid, but her mother remembered she had been hit in the eye while wearing contact lenses during a game of badminton at age 14. The family assumed the contact lens popped out and was lost. She never wore rigid contacts after that incident.

The doctors are unsure why it took nearly three decades to find the contact lens. She had not previously reported any redness, pain or swelling, which are usual symptoms of a trapped lens. However, she did explain that her eyelid had been droopy for some time.

This isn’t the first occurrence of a lost contact lens. In an article, also published in the British Medical Journal, doctors said they were preparing a 67-year-old woman for surgery when they found 27 contact lenses in the patient's eye, which were clumped together in a “blueish mass.” They also said they were “bound together by mucus.”

Contact lens issues at any age can include infections and eye abrasions and even blindness. To prevent injury, doctors advise patients to keep lenses clean with a proper solution and to never wear your lenses longer than prescribed. 

» RELATED: 7 do’s and don’ts every contact lens wearer should know

