5 Ways to Care for Eyes During Travel

As spring draws near, many people are thinking about traveling and vacations. We book our tickets, choose our lodging, plan our itinerary, and then we start making a list of all the supplies we need to pack. We plan how many sets of clothes we’ll need, what kind of gear we should bring to account for the weather, what medications we should bring . . . however, many of us neglect to take proper steps to ensure our eye health.  For those who are lucky enough to have 20/20 vision without the need of glasses or contacts, then you are less likely to run into trouble. However, nothing is worse than eye problems dampening a trip. There are many ways to protect your eyes during travel, but we’re going to focus on five.

1.  Keep Your Eyes Clean – Even after a long night of partying, it is never a good idea to fall asleep with cosmetics still on your eyes. This is especially true if you are wearing a lot of mascara and heavy eyeliner. You’re more likely to wake up with a nasty infection, sties or simply a strained, exhausted feeling when you awake. Carry makeup remover with you, as well as a bottle of eye drops to help relieve your irritated eyes.
2. Wear Proper Sunglasses – Protecting your eyes from the sun does not mean only doing so while on the beach; this should also be a consideration while you are skiing on the slopes as well. UV rays shine down year round and can bounce off of the snow to actually sunburn our eyes. We suggest leaving the expensive sunglasses at home in favor a cheaper pair, as items have a habit of getting misplaced or broken as you shuffle from one travel destination to the next. Just make sure that any set you bring blocks at least 99% of UV rays; just because the coloring is dark does not necessarily mean that your sunglasses are effective. If you are someone that wears contacts, Acuvue Oasys  (found cheaply here) provide additional UV protection.
3. Care for Contacts Properly – The last thing you want to do is go on a trip with a pair of contacts that should have been thrown away two months ago. Before you go on your vacation, make sure you have new contacts or enough replacements for your disposable lenses. Be sure to have a backup pair of glasses with you as well, just so you have the choice of giving your eyes a break if needed. Because you’ll be away from your normal routine, make sure that you do extra diligence to remember when to switch out old contacts for a new set.
4. Bring Your Prescription – This really is a big pre-planning step that many travelers do not think of when it comes to caring for their eyes. If you bring your prescription with you, then you are one-step ahead of the game if you lose your contacts or break your glasses. Therefore, you won’t be forced to blindly feel your way around the Taj Mahal or the Grand Canyon.
5. Drink Water – Keeping your eyes properly hydrated is accomplished through adequate consumption of water. This holds true even for those who use eye drops and contact solutions. You must drink at least eight – eight-ounce glasses of water per day. If you are drinking alcoholic beverages, you are going to need to drink even more water to keep your eyes properly hydrated. Otherwise, your eyes will begin feeling sticky, your vision will begin blurring, and you may start feeling like there is sandpaper in there. Taking good care of your eyes begins with staying properly hydrated.

Have any suggestions that you’d like to share with our readers? Let us know in the comment section below!

Guest Author: Tina Samuels

Photo by Katherine.