Going Out of Town? Follow these Simple Tips to Avoid Eye Problems While Traveling

Make sure you can see what you're visiting

The pets are boarded. The mail is on hold. The vacation timers are set. And you’re packed and ready to travel abroad for that vacation of a lifetime.

Now, did you remember to pack an extra pair of eyes?

Seriously, you might end up wishing you could. According to one of the nation’s premier ophthalmologists, eye problems rank right up there with a host of more ballyhooed vacation spoilers.

“I’ve had many patients come in after a vacation complaining that complications with their vision disrupted their trips,” says Sandy T. Feldman, MD, the Medical Director of Clearview Eye & Laser Medical Center in San Diego. “Everything from lost eyeglasses to painful eye irritations. What’s sad is that most of their problems were so avoidable.”

What can you do before heading out of town to make sure eye problems don’t spoil your fun? Dr. Feldman has several suggestions to help you avoid trouble.

Ready to take off? Use this important checklist Dr. Feldman provided to help make sure you enjoy a bon voyage:

• Pack an extra pair of glasses or contact lenses. If your glasses break or your contacts get lost, you’ll still be able to see those special sights. Also take your prescription with you just in case.
• Invest in a good pair of sunglasses. Most vacations involve a lot of time outdoors, and you’ll need to be adequately protected from those extra UV rays.
• Make sure you’ve packed lubricating drops and, if necessary, enough prescription eye drops to last throughout your trip. Refills may not be easy to come by at your destination spot.
• Bring your own contact solution. Do NOT use water to clean your contacts, as it could contain bacteria that will harm your eyes.
• See your ophthalmologist about any problems before you take off. If your eyes are bothering you, don’t wait until you return to schedule an appointment. Your condition could easily worsen while you are out of town.

How worried should you be about contacting eye diseases while traveling? Says Dr. Feldman, “Most eye problems while traveling are temporary - for example, long flights can cause dry eye and disruptions in your sleep pattern can make your eyes feel irritated. Nonpreserved lubricating drops should help solve the problem.”

If, however, you have an eye emergency, it’s important to seek out emergency treatment to avoid possible vision loss. See an ophthalmologist immediately if any of the following symptoms appear:

• Eye pain accompanied by redness
• Nausea or headache with eye pain
• Change in vision such as blurring or double vision
• Bleeding or other discharge
• A scratch, cut, or penetration of the eyeball

“Eye problems are the last thing you want to be concerned with while on vacation,” says Dr. Feldman. “With a few simple precautions, they won’t be an issue.”

Sandy T. Feldman, MD is the Medical Director of Clearview Eye & Laser Medical Center - voted best LASIK center in San Diego by the San Diego Union Tribune 2016/2017 and CityBeat Magazine for the second year in a row. She has successfully performed more than 20,000 refractive procedures. Her numerous awards include “Top Doc San Diego” and the Goldline Award, an honor granted to only 10 laser eye care providers in the U.S. each year, and she has been profiled in Forbes, Newsweek, and other respected publications. Dr. Feldman is a fellow of the prestigious American College of Ophthalmic Surgeons, as well as a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. For more information, please visit clearvieweyes.com.