Travelling with contact lenses or glasses

Many favourite holiday activities – going to the beach, swimming in the sea, sailing, surfing, skiing, snorkelling or hiking – are not as enjoyable because of worries about glasses or contact lenses.

Lots of people desire to be able to enjoy travelling without the stress associated with glasses and contacts. But if your vision is poor, many eye doctors suggest preferring glasses to contacts on holidays to hot countries in order to reduce the risk of developing potentially sight-threatening infections.

As it turns out, the number of patients attending casualty departments as a result of poor lens hygiene and accidents during the summer break rises during the first week of August until mid-September in the UK.

The majority of incidents occur as a result of poor lens hygiene or over-wear. In addition, contact lens wearers often admit to washing their lenses in water, as well as swimming and showering in them when on holiday. Eye casualty staff also sees patients who have left their contact lens solution in direct sunlight or who have placed lenses in solution that they poured out earlier in the day.

People need to be aware that washing their lens cases with water is a danger at any time, but it multiplies in very hot environments when bugs spread more quickly. Swimming pool water also carries a risk, while pouring solution out and leaving if for long periods will almost void its ability to adequately clean lenses.

So to conclude, prefer glasses to contacts on holidays, but we can assure you that laser eye surgery is the best option of them all!:)