Do you find travelling with contact lenses a tedious affair? The good news is that it doesn’t have to be. We’ll be glad to help you. For an enjoyable, relaxing, and uncomplicated trip, here are seven items you need to pack when travelling with contact lenses.
Daily disposable contact lenses
Wearing daily disposable contact lenses (or dailies) provides you with a hassle-free way to travel. When you wear dailies, you dispose of the contact lenses at night and start with fresh lenses the next day.
Dailies are much easier to maintain compared to bi-weekly or monthly contact lenses. You don’t need to clean dailies every night, which gives you more time to enjoy your vacation.
If you’re planning a trip but are currently wearing bi-weekly or monthly lenses, consult your eye care professional (ECP) about switching to dailies. Once your ECP provides you with an updated prescription, you can buy dailies that suit your unique vision requirements.
A screw-on contact lens case
It’s beautiful if you prefer not to visit your ECP and switch to dailies for your trip. You can still wear bi-weekly or monthly contact lenses when travelling. It would help if you stored your contact lenses inside a case with a screw-on cap or lid. Screw-on contact lens cases are made of durable material, so they’re ideal for travelling.
Screw-on contact lens cases are also watertight. When you screw the lid on properly, you can be sure that no bacteria will seep into the matter and contaminate your contact lenses.
Extra contact lenses
Always bring extra contact lenses when travelling, whether your trip is for business or leisure. A good rule to follow is to get one additional contact lens for each day of your trip. For example, if your trip is two weeks, bring four weeks’ worth of contact lenses. You’ll have two weeks’ worth of contact lenses plus an extra two weeks’ worth.
When you’re travelling, accidents can happen sometimes. It’s not something you can actively control. Your contact lens could get dislodged from your eye, or you could drop it on the floor while trying to insert it into your vision.
Since you’re miles away from home and there might be no pharmacy or eye clinic near your current location, being able to replace your contact lenses easily is crucial. By bringing extra contact lenses, you can rest easy knowing that you’ll never run out of fresh contact lenses during your trip.
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Contact lens solution
Travel restrictions make it difficult, if not, impossible to bring large bottles of contact lens solution on planes.
Transferring contact lens solution from a large bottle into a smaller container can be tricky and dangerous because there’s a risk of contamination. The answer is to buy travel-sized bottles of contact lens solution.
Travel-sized bottles of contact lens solution usually come in 2-ounce or 4-ounce variants. A 2-ounce bottle can last about one to two weeks. If your trip duration is two weeks, then it would be safe to pack several bottles of contact lens solution. Doing so means you don’t have to worry about looking for bottles of contact lens solution at your destination.
Prescription eyeglasses
Don’t leave your prescription eyeglasses at home. Even if you don’t plan on wearing eyeglasses on your trip, it’s always a good idea to prepare for any emergency. You’ll want your eyeglasses handy in case you suffer an eye infection or eye allergies while travelling. Bringing your eyeglasses means you’ll have perfect vision even without your contact lenses.
If you don’t have updated prescription eyeglasses, visit your ECP so that you can get a pair of updated prescription eyeglasses before leaving for your trip. Furthermore, protect your eyeglasses by storing them in a sturdy case that can take travel rigours.
A pair of sunglasses
Protect your eyes from the sun by packing sunglasses with a high level of UVA/UVB protection, especially if you’re going to a tropical destination. Wearing contact lenses with UVA and UV protection isn’t enough because they don’t provide a high-security level, and they only protect your corneas.
To protect your entire eye as well as the areas around your eyes, wear sunglasses. For maximum protection, pack sunglasses that block 100% of UVA and UVB rays. Manufacturers indicate this information on the tag of their sunglasses.
Copies of your updated prescriptions
Bring copies of your updated contact lens and eyeglass prescriptions with you whenever you travel. The numbers listed on your prescription are universally recognized, which means it will be easy for you to get contact lenses or eyeglasses regardless of where you are in the world.
To ensure that your prescription is up-to-date, visit your ECP and get an eye exam a week or two before you leave for your trip. If you don’t want to go through that kind of hassle, you can get an online eye exam. Online eye exams are convenient, safe, and accurate. A licensed eye care professional in your state will review your results before providing you with your prescription.
Conclusion
Travelling with contact lenses doesn’t have to be a problem. As long as you follow the advice in this post, you’ll be able to travel without any hassle. Just keep in mind that the information in this guide is provided only as a secondary resource. It is not meant to replace the advice of a licensed eye care professional. Make sure you consult with your eye care professional before taking your trip.