How to Take Care of Your Eyes While on a Vacation
If you are planning a vacation, take your time and also plan how you will care for your eyes while away from home. Otherwise, you may suffer an eye infection in the short term or vision problems in the long term. Below are some of the precautions that will help you take care of your eyes while vacationing.
Carry and Use Protective Devices
Vacation eye care begins right from the packing stage. Ensure you pack all the items you will need to care for your eyes while on vacation. Specifically, you should pack sunglasses, a hat, and swimming goggles (if you will be anywhere near water). The sunglasses will protect direct sunlight from hitting your face or eyes. The sunglasses will protect your eyes from direct sunlight and glare. The swimming goggles will protect your eyes in water, for example, by limiting the amount of pool chemicals or ocean debris entering your eyes.
Stay Hydrated
Having dry eyes is dangerous because you need tears to wash the dirt away from your eyes and keep the eyes moisturized and lubricated. Dry eyes can be itchy, sensitive to light, and easy to irritate, among other issues. Vacation activities such as staying in the sun for prolonged periods or taking a long-haul flight can easily dry out your eyes. Counteract the problem by drinking lots of fluids or eating watery fruits.
Use Artificial Tears
It may also be a good idea to carry and use eye drops to act as artificial tears for your eyes. This is particularly true if you will be spending lots of time outdoors and your eyes are likely to dry out. It is also helpful for those vacationing in low-humidity areas. Otherwise, your eyes may dry out, and you will suffer the dry eye problems discussed above.
Don't Swim with Contacts
If you wear contact lenses, make sure you remove them before getting into the water. Swimming with contact lenses is one of the most dangerous things you can do for your eyes. For one, the contacts may trap dangerous microorganisms between their surfaces and the surfaces of your eyes, and the germs may affect your eyes. Not only that, but the contacts may also trap debris that may bruise your eyes.
Keep Your Eyes Clean
Lastly, you should also clean your eyes regularly while on vacation. Regular cleaning ensures that any dirt or germs that get into your eyes don't stay there long enough to cause damage. For example, you need to clean your eyes after swimming and also clean them when going to bed so that you don't sleep with dirt near your eyes.
Consult an ophthalmologist as soon as possible if you do develop eye problems during your vacation. The eye being a sensitive and critical organ, you don't want to do anything that risks permanent damage to it.
