It’s important not to underestimate the power of your eyes when you travel. Here are our top tips to take care of your eyes when travelling…

Sight is the sense we rely upon the most to function in daily life. Good vision is especially important while you travel because you need to be able to see all of the beautiful things that the world has to offer. Furthermore, you don’t want your eyes to ever stop you from doing what you want to do. 

The Avastin blindness lawsuit illustrates how difficult bad eyes can be to treat. The best thing we can do in regards to our optical health is to look after our eyes as best as possible, whilst avoiding anything that might cause us problems – ensure you do the following before or whilst you travel. Here are our top tips to take care of your eyes when travelling…

Get an eye-test

It is important to have an up-to-date eye test before you go away. Even if you are not due for a check-up for some time, you should check your eyes before you go. Eye-tests don’t only check your prescription, they also examine your overall eye health. They can catch conditions such as cataracts early and can then prevent further decline in your eye health. 

Bring some spare glasses

It is always a good idea to bring a spare pair of glasses with you on your travels. That way, if you lose or break your glasses you will have another pair handy. In the eventuality that you lose both pairs of glasses, bring your prescription with you on your travels. It might be hard to obtain otherwise.  

Use eye-drops

Traveling can expose your eyes to irritants such as dust, dirt, and pollen. Your eyes can also become dry in hot weather or because of indoor heating. You should, therefore, have some drops handy to keep your eyes clean and hydrated. When applying drops always make sure your hands are clean.

Take care with lenses

Next on our list of tips to take care of your eyes when travelling is to watch out for your lenses. If you are somewhere with poor hygiene standards, then consider swapping to daily lenses. Furthermore, when in contact with water do not wear contact lenses, or if you do, wear goggles over the top. Bacteria from water can become trapped under your contacts and cause infection which can be serious. Furthermore, ensure you care for your lenses properly as you would do at home. If you usually wear contacts only, bring a pair of glasses with you as well. You might need them for activities such as hiking or rafting. 

UV-protection

You must protect your eyes from the sun. UV-rays can cause many harmful eye conditions including eye cancer. Take care in hot weather with a quality pair of sunglasses, especially if your eyes are unaccustomed to the strong sun. You will also need sunglasses for some cold weather. Winter sun can be just as damaging especially when reflected off snow or ice on the ground. Look for sunglasses that offer 99% or 100% UVA and UVB protection. If you do need a prescription you should also have a pair of prescription sunglasses. Make sure you change the lenses depending on the conditions.

Keep your eyes clean

You should always remove makeup and contact lenses before you go to bed at night, even when you are busy enjoying yourself! Come prepared with a good, gentle eye makeup remover. Even if you do not wear makeup, be sure to wash your face before going to bed to keep your eyes clean. 

These are some of the most important tips to take care of your eyes when travelling. Let us know if you have any more advice to add!