Eye Care Tips For Traveling

We bet that dealing with an eye emergency is not part of your travel plans, right? Nobody wants to deal with an eye crisis when traveling. If you are in a remote area, finding a doctor could take you a while, resulting in permanent damage. In addition, you could have to pay out of pocket if you are in a foreign country.

Accidents and injuries to your eyes can occur when traveling. A simple trip to the beach could leave you with a bruised eye and blurry vision. You cannot always control what happens but that does not mean you cannot take precautions.

Similar to how you manage your health when traveling, you can care for your eyes to avoid coming back home with an injury or impairment. Luckily, experts share tips for travelers all over the internet.

The information below is a collection of the most practical advice on caring for your eyes when traveling. So do not cancel your vacation! Instead, keep a handy record of the following tips. Some apply before you leave for your trip, so do not finish packing yet.

Must-do Eye Care For Travelers

Get Your Eyes Checked Before Traveling

A trip to the ophthalmologist never hurts, especially if you will be gone for a while. Ensure you visit your eye doctor before leaving for your trip. The doctor should perform a general check-up and ensure your eyes are healthy for travel.

The doctor will also prescribe eye drops or medications if there are any symptoms so you can go on your trip comfortably. They will also offer advice on keeping your eyes healthy.

Pack An Extra Pair Of Glasses Or Contacts

Imagine if your glasses fell into the ocean or your contact cases leaked while your bags were being transferred while miles away from home. You would be forced to spend the rest of your trip straining and squinting. Therefore, always pack an extra pair of visual aids in case of accidents. Keep your extra pair in your accommodations to prevent losing both of them.

Pack A Good Pair Of Sunglasses (And Backup Pair)

Whether you are going somewhere sunny and bright or cold and snowy, you need to get a good pair of sun protectors for your trip. Ensure that your sunglasses can protect against UV rays to prevent photokeratitis. Wear your sunglasses wherever you go outside, even if it is not sunny, since UV rays can penetrate through cloud cover. And always bring an extra pair because, as you know, accidents happen.

Carry Lubricant For Dry Eyes

If you are going to be on a thrilling adventure where blinking means you lose vital scenes, you will probably get dry eyes from lack of blinking. Exposure to environmental factors such as dry circulated air, smoke, and dust will also cause irritation and other symptoms linked to dry eyes. Ask your ophthalmologist to prescribe eye drops to ensure your eyes remain adequately lubricated. Keep the eye drops on your person at all times and always follow the doctor’s recommendation on use.

Stay Hydrated

Another great way to prevent dry eye during your vacation is to stay hydrated. Dry eye occurs when the eyes are not adequately lubricated. If you are dehydrated, your eyes will not produce enough tears to lubricate your eyes. Therefore, ensure you drink enough water throughout your vacation. It is always best to travel with a sustainable water bottle to carry water, especially when visiting hot areas.

Stock Up On Lens Cleaner

Are you planning on wearing contact lenses? Do not forget to bring a lens solution to ensure you do not develop infections or dry eye syndrome. Many vacationers forget to bring lens solution or do not get enough.
You could travel to areas where lens solution is not a readily available commodity. Therefore, ensure you carry enough solution to clean your contact lenses. Never use water as a substitute, as you could introduce bacteria into your eyes.

Stock Up Allergy Medication

If you have intense allergies, ensure you bring allergy medication on your trip. Pollen, dust, and other allergies are shared all over the world.

Plant life could be different as you travel to new places so ensure you bring your allergy medication to prevent redness, watering, and discomfort in your eyes. It will also help you avoid infections due to rubbing and scratching the eyes.

Clean Your Eyes

After every day of exploration or traveling, clean your eyes. Constant movement will expose you to allergens, germs, particles, dust, smoke, and other contaminants. Therefore, you need to keep your eyes clean to prevent irritation and infections. We recommend using a clean towel dipped in warm water to clean around the eyes. Similarly, ensure you take off your makeup before sleeping.

Keep An Eye Out For Visual Changes

While enjoying your vacation, ensure you remain mindful of your vision and eye health. Stay observant of any changes and growth that may occur while traveling.

Similarly, try to remember any items that may have come in contact with your eyes and hands. It will help with diagnosing unexplainable conditions. Check your eyes every day in the morning and before bed for abnormalities.

Get Enough Sleep

What happens when you do not get enough sleep? Your eyes become tired, discolored, and sore. Similarly, you could develop dry eye syndrome. Therefore, ensure that you get enough sleep. You are on vacation after all!

Get seven hours of sleep or more, and carry an eye mask if you have trouble sleeping in bright spaces. You could need a snooze on the plane, train, or bus.

Maintain A Good Diet

We understand that being on vacation means indulging outside of your regular diet. But it does not mean you should avoid all the healthy stuff. Changes in your diet could affect your vision, so ensure you eat vegetables and get your omega-3 fatty acids.

See An Ophthalmologist Immediately If Anything Happens

And lastly, ensure that you see an ophthalmologist immediately, should anything happen. You could sustain an eye injury or blurry vision after exposure to various factors. It is always best to seek help to preserve your vision and eye health. It may cost more but it is not worth losing your sight.