Preparing for a holiday can be a stressful experience. If you’re a wearer of contact lenses, then you’ll face an additional layer of complexity. It’s easy to neglect basic eye-care and hygiene while you’re out on the road – but this can result in discomfort and illness.

So, what’s the right approach?

Preparation is key

Firstly, it’s important to make life easy for yourself with the right preparation. Make sure that you always have a supply of spare lenses, along with the case and solution you need to store and clean them. Keep a pair of eyeglasses to hand, too – it might be that you have no choice but to resort to them.

Avoid washing your lenses with tap water, and don’t sleep in them unless your optometrist recommends it.

Switch to daily contact lenses

During your travels, you might find it easier to switch to daily lenses. When you’re done for the day, you can easily throw the old lenses away. This adds a level of convenience that you might appreciate while you’re on the move. What’s more, you might find yourself in a sandy, dusty, or dirty part of the world, and need to change your lenses more regularly.

Disposable lenses also tend to be more breathable, which means that they’re a better match for the dried-out air of an aeroplane cabin. You can pick up these contact lenses online.

Use a contact lens travel pack

In order to keep your supplies as compact as possible, and thereby stay on the right side of hand luggage limits, you might pick out an appropriate travel-sized solution. Or, you could make one yourself, from scratch. You can keep a daily kit, or a monthly kit, depending on your needs.

Your pack should also include eyedrops, especially if you’re going to be flying or swimming. Don’t take so much, however, that you end up on the wrong side of the airline’s limits on liquids.

Opt for lenses with UV protection

If you’re going to be travelling to a sunny part of the world, then the extra UV protection of a set of UV-blocking lenses might be appropriate. If you don’t take the right precautions, you might end up with a host of conditions, including cataracts and corneal sunburn.

If you’re going to be swimming, then you might put yourself at risk of infection with contact lenses. In this instance, prescription goggles can be a valuable thing to carry: make sure that you have yours available.

Conclusion

Getting the best from your experience with contact lenses while travelling means making life as convenient for yourself as possible. Do this in advance. Research your destination and what’s required, pack accordingly, and talk to your optometrist if you need any advice.