Nat Sauteed
If you’re a contact lens wearer then you’ve had the occasional dry eye or had your contacts falling out due to lack of moisture. If you have a long haul flight or even road trip planned, travelling with contacts can be a seamless experience. All you have to do is just keep in mind some tips and you are good to go.
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Avoid wearing your lens on flights
All of us have experienced our skin and eyes dry out while on a flight due to the dry atmosphere inside the plane. The humidity in airplanes is about 20% and as disposable contact lenses are made up of about 69% water content, they tend to dry out or get distorted during a flight. So it is advisable to avoid wearing your lenses if you’re taking a long flight or take them out if you intend to sleep on the flight. If you’re on a shorter flight and want to keep your lenses on, carry re-wetting drops to keep your lens moist during your flight.
Stock up on your supply
Although most cities stock all the brands of contact lenses, like Hidrocor Rio and other similar brands they may not sell it over the counter easily if they are by prescription. You might be asked to sit for an eye test before being able to buy the product. Some cities/countries may not stock your brand of lenses and a new brand may not fit as comfortably. So it is advisable to stock up on your lens supply before you leave.
Carry a couple of spares in your overnight bag
If you have carry-on luggage, it is always better to keep a couple of spares in case of minor lens accidents. If all your lenses are packed in the luggage you have checked-in you won’t have a pair until you reach or if your luggage gets misplaced you will have a spare in your overnight bag.
Switch to daily lenses
Daily contact lenses like Dailies Total 1 are the easiest to travel with. Due to safety rules in airplanes carrying your lens solution may be a problem. In such scenarios travelling with daily disposable contact lenses instead of reusable lenses is much simpler. You also don’t have to worry about the additional weight and space lens solution will carry.
Carry a copy of your prescription
Keep a copy of your prescription in your luggage or just take a picture on your phone and back it up in the cloud. This can be very helpful if you lose your contacts while on vacation.
Keep your lenses clean
Even when you travel, make sure you maintain your contact lens cleaning ritual. Being out and about while travelling in foreign places might increase your chances of picking up bacteria or other foreign matter on your fingertips. Being in an air-conditioned environment will dry out your eyes and might lead you to re-adjust your lens or run your eyes. This causes whatever bacteria that’s on your hands to get transferred to your eyes. So it is also better to carry your hand sanitizer whenever you travel, so to ensure that your hands are always clean before you touch your eyes.
Let your eyes take a vacation
When you travel, you might land up in different time zones and surroundings and this affects the quality and quantity of sleep you get in turn affecting the comfort and health of your eyes. Try and get a good 8-10 hours of sleep. Carry your glasses so that you can give your eyes a break from wearing contact lenses all the time.
