How long should I stop wearing contact lenses before an eye examination?
Soft lenses are usually stopped for a few days before an assessment and rigid lenses for considerably longer, because contact lens wear changes the shape of the cornea and can make the measurements wrong.
- Subject
- Surgery journey
- Topic
- Preparation
- Kind of question
- How long…
- Procedures
- Contact lenses
- Last reviewed
- 22 September 2026
In more detail
The exact period depends on the lens type and on how long you have worn them. Tell the clinic what you wear when you book, rather than arriving and mentioning it, since a measurement taken too soon may need repeating.
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It is one of 483 answers in the vision and eye health knowledge base, filed under The surgery journey in Preparation . The subject page carries the answers either side of it, and the hub is searchable.
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- Non-surgical option Contact lenses
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This information is for educational purposes and does not replace an examination by a qualified eye-care professional.
General answers cannot tell you what is happening in your own eyes. Only an examination by a qualified ophthalmologist can do that.
Sources & further reading
We prefer primary sources. Where a claim comes from a manufacturer, a single study or a regulator, it is labelled as such below.
- The Royal College of Ophthalmologists
The UK professional body for ophthalmologists, which publishes standards and commissioning guidance for refractive surgery services.
Used for What good preoperative assessment and consent look like.
Link checked 22 September 2026
- EyeSmart: eye health information for the public
Patient-facing material from the largest ophthalmology professional body, covering conditions, tests and treatments outside refractive surgery.
Used for Cross-checking patient-facing explanations of non-refractive eye conditions; Describing what tests such as dilation and OCT involve.
Link checked 23 September 2026