Lighting – Need help to remove protective cover from light bulb

Its been painted, and badly at that, which is going to make everything stick together. Get a utility knife and score around the edge of the flashing, a.k.a the baffle, and see if it will come off after that. Modern day recessed light baffles are held in place by three metal tabs that push on the side of the can. They are like springs. When I take my down to replace the bulb it feels like I"m going to pull the whole thing out of the ceiling. The thing has a death grip on the can. Could be similar with yours, in which case the flashing will pull straight down. On my cans I had to use a metal L shaped dental pick to get under the lip of the can so I could get my fingers under it and start pulling.

Almost all recessed light trim rings are held in place by spring clips that grip the interior of the recessed can. However, some of those clips have sharp prongs to better grip the can.

You often have to use some force and wiggle the trim ring downward to overcome the grip. Sometimes, if you get a little gap, you can use a flat bladed tool, small putty knife or flat screwdriver, to locate the clip and push it towards the center as you ease the ring downward. Sometimes rotating the trim as you pull downwards helps, even though the trim is not really screwed in.

The trims routinely scrape a groove in the cans as they come out, but this does not damage the can and will be covered when the trim is replaced.

Work carefully, because some cans are not well attached, especially old work cans that may not be anchored to framing. I would strongly recommend turning off the breaker to the can before working. Turning the switch off is not enough, since there may be live hot in the can, even if the wall switch is off.

Finally, I would check, before removing the trim, to make sure that the lens does not come off by itself. If the lens were removable, it probably would require a counterclockwise twist while pushing gently upward.