Holiday travel is hard on contact lens routines. Late nights, early flights, hotel bathrooms, borrowed sinks and a toiletry bag that is never quite where you need it all make it tempting to cut corners. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is blunt about why you should not: wearing contacts carries a risk of eye infections and corneal ulcers that can develop quickly and, in rare cases, cause blindness.
What to pack
- Enough fresh solution for the whole trip, in TSA-friendly sizes for carry-on
- A clean lens case, plus a spare
- Extra lenses in case one tears or is lost
- Your glasses, so you can give your eyes a break and have a backup if your eyes get irritated
The FDA’s hygiene rules
- Rub and rinse your lenses as directed, and clean and disinfect them according to the label.
- Never top off old solution in the case. Discard leftover solution every time and use fresh.
- Do not expose lenses to any water: tap, bottled, distilled, lake or ocean. Tap and distilled water have been linked to Acanthamoeba keratitis, a corneal infection that is very hard to treat.
- Never use homemade saline.
- Remove lenses before swimming or using a hot tub. Pools, hot tubs, lakes and the ocean all carry infection risk.
- Replace your lens case at least every 3 months, or as your eye care professional directs.
Warning signs on the road
The FDA lists discomfort, excess tearing or discharge, unusual light sensitivity, itching or burning, unusual redness, blurred vision, swelling and pain. If any of these start:
- Take the lenses out right away and do not put them back in.
- Keep the lenses in their case and bring them to an eye care professional, who may want to examine them.
- Switch to glasses and get seen promptly, even if you are away from home.
You cannot judge how serious a lens-related problem is on your own, and a red, painful eye during a trip is not something to wait out until you get home.
Sudden blurry or distorted central vision is a different problem that is not related to lenses; this Los Angeles eye health blog explains several retina conditions that cause it.
Pack the glasses, bring fresh solution and keep water away from your lenses. Those three habits prevent most of the holiday-trip emergencies I see.
Source: Contact Lens Risks (U.S. Food and Drug Administration). This article is an educational summary written by Khanna Vision Institute and is not a substitute for medical advice.
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