Contact lenses have added convenience to people’s lives ever since they became popular in the 1970s. Contacts are great for athletics, boosted confidence, and traveling.
Wearing contact lenses on vacation is ideal for most contact lens wearers. Unfortunately, things can go wrong with contact lenses, and vacation is the last place you want to deal with an issue.
Want to make sure that you’re prepared to take care of your eyes while you’re away from home? Whether you’re traveling for work or for fun, follow these travel tips to ensure that your contacts won’t get in the way of your travel.
Pack Back-Ups
It is a dangerous game to travel and rely on only one set of contacts. If you lose or damage one or both of your contacts, then you are out of luck. To avoid this, make sure you pack a backup pair of contacts.
It is also a good idea to bring along a pair of glasses, even if you don’t wear them often. If your eyes get irritated from wearing contacts, it is best to give them a break for a day or two and wear glasses instead. Glasses will also save you in case something happens to your backup pair of contacts.
If you are traveling with a child who wears contacts, this tip is essential. Be sure to pack at least 1-2 backup pairs of contacts as well as their glasses. A new environment may introduce new allergens to you or your child’s eyes.
New places have different pollen, dust, and pet dander. Glasses give your eyes a much-needed break when allergens are involved.
Stay on Top Of Cleaning
Even though your daily routine changes when you travel, your eye care routine shouldn’t change. Be sure to maintain your normal contact lens cleaning routine.
Don’t forget to:
- Wash and dry your hands before you touch your eyes or lenses
- Clean your lenses thoroughly before and after use
- Clean your contact lens case with solution and let it dry
- Never use water to clean your contacts
Failure to properly care for your contacts can result in painful and inconvenient eye infections. You never want to deal with an eye infection, but especially not when you’re traveling.
Try Daily Disposable Contacts
If the idea of maintaining your regular cleaning schedule sounds tedious, or if you don’t trust yourself to follow through with contact maintenance while on vacation, there are other options for you.
Consider trying daily disposable contact lenses. Daily disposable lenses are great for travel because you can forgo your regular maintenance routine.
When the day is done, you simply throw away the lenses you were wearing. On the next day, you start a brand new pair. If you opt for daily wear contacts, you can leave behind the extra supplies such as your contact case and cleaning solution.
It’s still a good idea to bring an extra pair or two of daily disposable lenses in case you lose or damage one.
If you’re interested in daily disposable contacts, you will need approval from your eye doctor. You can schedule a contact lens fitting, and your doctor will let you know if your prescription is compatible with daily wear contacts or not.
Wear Glasses During the Flight
The air on airplanes can cause dry eyes. One way to avoid dry eyes during travel is to wear your glasses during your flight.
Consider keeping your contacts in your carry-on bag and waiting to put them in until you arrive at your destination. If you plan to sleep on your flight, sleeping with your contacts is never a good idea.
Sleeping with contacts can cause:
- Irritation
- Dry eyes
- Redness
- Infection
- Blurred vision
Pack the Appropriate Solution for Your Luggage
Regardless of if you’re traveling with checked baggage or only a carry-on, it is wise to bring contacts and travel-sized solutions in your carry-on. This ensures that your contacts will be with you when you reach your destination in case your checked baggage gets lost.
If you are checking a bag, it is a great idea to pack a full-size bottle of contact lens solution so that you know you won’t run out. If you’re only traveling with a carry-on, remember that liquids need to be 3.4 ounces or less and all fit into one quart-size plastic bag.
It may seem convenient to squeeze solution from a large bottle into smaller bottles. However, this affects the sterility of the contact solution. Always purchase travel-size contact solution from the store.
To prevent your solution from leaking on the plane, squeeze out any extra air in your bottles and seal each of them in a plastic bag.
Protect Your Lenses From Water and Sun
Many people’s favorite part of traveling is swimming at the pool or going to the beach. It can be tempting to just keep your contacts in whenever you go into the water.
However, wearing your contacts in the water puts you at risk for eye infections. Some eye infections are serious enough to result in an eye emergency.
Avoid eye infections from water by:
- Removing your contacts before swimming or showering
- Wear goggles in the water
- Wear daily disposable contacts and throw them away right after being in the water
Be sure to protect your eyes from UV rays by wearing sunglasses and hats as often as you can.
Bring Your Prescription
Bring a copy of your prescription if you are traveling for an extended period of time. If something goes wrong, you will be able to order new contacts from an eye doctor at your destination.
The units and numbers on your prescription are standard around the world, so you won’t have to worry about translation.
Travel With Contacts With Ease
Traveling is fun, so don’t let your contacts bring you down. Follow these tips to successfully travel with your contacts.
Always take good care of your lenses, and remain smart about where and when you wear them. If you’re interested in trying daily wear contacts or need an updated prescription to bring along, request an appointment before your trip today!
