Planning a vacation? Here’s what you should know about traveling with contact lenses.
The Preparation
- Plan for your trip
Take enough contact lenses to last your trip. If you wear daily lenses, take extra in case you lose them or drop them. If you have to buy some dailies, try cheap solotica lenses. The cheap solotica lenses won’t set you back and will provide the same level of comfort.
Find out if you can buy your brand of lenses at your destination in case your luggage goes missing or you happen to run out of contact lenses.
Carry enough contact lens solution to last you the entire trip. Or, find out where you can buy some at your destination.
If the occasion warrants colored lenses, try Bella colored contacts. The Bella colored contacts have several different shades to choose from and are very comfortable to wear.
- Packing
Carry your lens prescription in case the place you’re visiting doesn’t speak your native tongue.
Keep a case of daily lenses in your carry on in case your luggage gets lost, misplaced or delayed. You will also want to keep a small bottle of lens solution in your carry on. Check with the airlines on what the limit is to carry liquids in the carry on bag. But don’t transfer your lens solution to a smaller container. This can cause infections since the container may not be sterile. Buy a smaller lens solution. Get a multipurpose lens solution to pack light instead of separate solutions for cleaning, rewetting and disinfecting.
- Make a checklist
Since you have to carry a lot of things, make a checklist of what you need so that you don’t forget something vital like your prescription.
Here’s one for you:
- Lenses
- Lenses multipurpose solution
- Lens prescription
- Lens case
- Backup Glasses
While Travelling
- Don’t wear your lenses
While traveling, it’s best if you don’t wear your lenses. On airplanes, the contact lenses can dry out your eyes because of the change in atmospheric pressure. You can keep rewetting drops with you but it is highly recommended that you don’t wear your lenses at all.
While traveling, you may also be prone to falling asleep especially if it is a long journey, so it is recommended that you remove your lenses as they might get stuck otherwise.
- What to do if your contact lenses are stuck
If your lenses are stuck to your cornea, try blinking to bring them back to the center of your eye. If that doesn’t work, try rewetting drops to lubricate them. You can also get soft forceps to remove the stuck lenses. If nothing works, ask for assistance.
- Wear backup glasses
If you are a reader and would like to read during the duration of your flight, pack some backup glasses so that you can read comfortably. Glasses don’t pose the same risk as lenses and might be a better alternative during traveling.
On Vacation
- Keep your lenses clean
Even though you’re on vacation, you must take proper care of your lenses. Keep them clean by disinfecting them and storing them in the lens case.
- Don’t wear your lenses all day
Even if you plan an all-day hiking trip, don’t overwear your lenses beyond what the doctors recommend. Remove them and switch to glasses if needed.
- Give your lenses and eyes a break
Take time off from your lenses once in a while to allow your eyes to rest during vacation. If you need to read, wear glasses.