5 Eye Care Tips while You Travel.

When you are away in a foreign land, the last thing you want is an eye emergency.  If something does occur, then you may be tempted to wait and deal with it when you get home, but if not treated properly, your eye's health can decline rapidly, so it is vital that you follow these 5 eye care tips while you travel.

Double Up

Expert ophthalmologist Anne Sumers, M.D suggests that you get your prescription checked before you go to stop any unnecessary eye strain, and then take two pairs of your glasses with you.  Whether one pair falls off your head and into the sea, or you leave them on the plane; being away in a foreign country with compromised eyesight can be a scary experience, so it is essential to come prepared.  Similarly, if you wear contacts, either dailies or ‘monthlies’, make sure you pack double the amount you would usually require. 

Pack the Drops

While travelling on a plane getting dry eyes is very common, but getting even a short amount of sleep can help conquer this affliction.  Of course, some people struggle to take a nap while in the air, so the flying experts at Skyscanner recommend packing eye drops in your hand luggage to use once you are back on the ground to help to revive them and bring back their health and sparkle. In addition to these tips, it's essential to prioritize your eye health by scheduling your eye exam regularly. This ensures any potential issues are caught early, maintaining optimal eye function and comfort during travel and everyday activities.

Stop the Glare

The professional traveller and author behind the "Rocky Travel" website recommends sunglasses as an essential for eye health while you travel.  She says that choosing a comfortable, lightweight pair with polarised lenses to reduce glare is critical, as is going for a pair with a curve that matches your face shape to most efficiently keep the sunlight of your eyes.  Another eye care ‘must-have’ suggestion from the ‘Rocky Traveller’ is to go for a pair with 99% to 100% UV and UVB protection. 

Flush and Refresh

If your holiday includes time at the beach, your eyes can end up red and irritated from the sand, salt and other potential contaminants from the sea, and nothing spoils a happy day at the seaside like sore and stinging eyes!  By keeping a bottle of fresh water with you, you can quickly and easily flush out any irritants from the eye, and the experts at Click Pharmacy suggest that if the pain or redness continues even after this, then bathing the eye in a saline solution can bring additional, healing relief.

Take Note

Do not ignore visual changes!  The eye specialists at the American Academy of Ophthalmology tell us that the eyes can tell us when something else is going on within the body such as a stroke or undiagnosed diabetes. When you are away, eating and drinking more than usual, spending time in a higher temperatures than normal, and staying up late; or else travelling late at night or early in the morning, your blood sugar levels can soar or drop.  If you have untreated diabetes, this could be extremely dangerous, and blurry

vision could be your body’s way of trying to tell you that something is wrong!  If your vision changes in any way while you are away, then take a trip to the nearest emergency room and get it checked out as soon as you can. 

It’s usually easy to ascertain what your eyes are trying to tell you, whether it’s tiredness or a grain of sand irritating the cornea, but by utilising these simple, expert eyes care tips, you can ensure your eye’s health while you travel.