5 Best Practices For Traveling With Contact Lenses

Travelling can be a stressful experience sometimes. How do you ask? At one point or other, everyone forgets packing something really important as most of the time; we are all concerned and busy packing clothes, documents, and shoes.

In the process, we tend to forget the many small articles that could have a huge impact on our trip.  This is particularly troublesome when it’s regarding contact lenses, since you must remember to take the necessary supplies to ensure proper eye and lens care while on vacation.

Planning Ahead Is Essential

If you are careful and remember to carry everything, you’d probably need to ensure proper hygiene and care for your contact lenses, then traveling with contact lenses is no big deal.

Additionally, if your optometrist has suggested you follow a lens-wearing schedule, make sure you continue to adhere to it, even during your trip. This includes not wearing contact lenses overnight, whether on an airplane or in a hotel suite. So, before taking an overnight journey, do not forget to remove your contact lenses and store them appropriately, following the lens care regime.

Here’s a handy checklist to make your trip go as smoothly as possible:

1. Lens Care Solution for Contact Lenses

Here’s an example of a common possibility: You recall taking one bottle of solution, and let’s say, you forget it at your hotel room, or a friend or colleagues’ house. You’d have to agree that this could happen to the best of us.

So, why not carry two bottles of lens care solution for your contact lenses and avoid last-minute, late-night drives trying to look for a place to buy more? Generally, most contact lenses solutions are also available in smaller, compact, and travel-friendly packaging.

2. Consider Buying Yourself A Contact Lenses Travel Kit

Yes, you can pack your contact lens case and lens care solution in your bags or suitcase, but carrying a travel kit can come in handy and be really useful.

Think of it – they’re compact enough to be carried around in your jacket or coat pocket and come equipped with everything you’ll need in an urgent situation, including a mirror. So let’s say if you ever need to wear your contact lenses or take them out, and there are no mirrors around you, the kit may become in handy. However, remember not to transfer the lens care solution from its original bottle to smaller fancy bottles with these kits. This may expose your lens care solution to contamination which may get transferred to your eyes later. Hence buying a smaller solution bottle for travel will help.  

3. Write Down The Contact Information Of Your Present Optometrist

You might not need this, but many of us forget to take the information of our optometrists and doctors. You’ll be glad you took the extra 30 seconds to take this information with you if you need it later. Why should you keep this information with you? If the need arises, you’ll be prepared to provide your optometrist’s phone number and email address to any local eye specialist or a doctor, as you will have the information with you.

4. Protecting Your Eyes Against The Harmful UV Radiations Of The Sun

While contact lenses offer you convenience and peripheral vision, if you’re heading someplace sunny, then it’s always better to carry UV-protecting sunglasses to protect your eyes from UV radiations. Prescription sunglasses are also an option however they have their limitations as not all types of powers can be made in prescription sunglasses. Contact lenses give you an option of choosing from a variety of Sunglasses irrespective of your spectacle power

5. Talk To Your Optometrist About Switching To Daily Disposable Contact Lenses

If you generally wear monthly disposables or weekly disposable contact lenses, then it would be a smart option to consult your optometrist about making a switch to daily disposable contact lenses before your trip. These lenses require very little care, and you don’t need to follow any regimen to clean, rinse or store them – you can simply discard daily disposable contact at the end of the day.

Enjoy Your Trip, But Don’t Forget To Care For Your Eyes

Now that you know some of the best practices to follow, with a little diligence following the checklist, you will be able to travel with your contact lenses. Your eyes are the gateway to the world, and whether you are traveling or not, you must adhere to the contact lenses and lens care regime provided to you by your optometrist.

While you are at it, remember to buy contact lenses from globally-renowned brands like Bausch+Lomb. In the contact lenses industry, they are reputable and well-known for their innovation and technology, which allows them to provide a wide-ranging portfolio of contact lenses, including daily disposable contact lenses, as well as colored contact lenses that are available with a wide range of powers. You can check more about their products on their website and discover insights on contact lens wear and care!