But what happens when that invisible feeling starts becoming more noticeable? What happens when it feels as though there is indescribable pressure on one of your eyes? Or worse, what happens when you feel sharp, gritty or localized pain in your eye? More often than not, the culprit is a piece of dirt or other type of debris that somehow has become lodged between the inside surface of your contact lens and the surface of your eye.

When this is the case, relief is easy. Since it's not a good idea to touch contact lenses unnecessarily, start by adding a few drops of your contact lens solution or lubricant into the eye. Hopefully the debris will rinse away and the uncomfortable feeling will be gone. If it's not, then remove the lens and take a closer look. You might find protein deposits accumulating on the lens surface. If that's the case, it's time to pay more attention to your cleaning routine. If you're using disposable lenses, it's probably time to replace one or perhaps even both lenses.

And you should feel fortunate that you have such an early warning device. A build up of protein deposits left untreated can turn into something far more serious than an uncomfortable feeling.

If you've checked the lens surface and done a bit of lens maintenance, yet still, wearing your contact lenses feels uncomfortable, there's the possibility that the lens has developed a tear. Remove the lens, place it on your fingertip and hold it up towards a light source. Look around the edges for what appears to be a tiny fiber. If one is found, investigate further. It may be just that - a tiny piece of something on the surface. If it won't come off, it's probably a tear and there's nothing you can do to repair it.

What else could be wrong?

Other reasons contact lenses are uncomfortable include wearing the wrong prescription, a problem with dry eyes, allergies or other medical problems including eyes that aren't healthy and eye strain. These types of problems should be discussed with your eye doctor. Testing and a medical history evaluation can help rule out or pinpoint the cause of the pain and once it's been identified, proper corrective measures can be put into place.

That might include a new, properly-fitting contact lens prescription or possibly a different brand of contact lens, one that allows more oxygen to flow to the cornea. The eye doctor might recommend using lubricants and/or artificial tear drops when dry eyes are causing the uncomfortable feelings. Other medical treatments might also be prescribed depending on what's causing the discomfort. Hormonal and thyroid problems can impact a person's ability to wear corrective contact lenses as can some prescription and over-the-counter medications.