Eyes on the Go – How to Look After Your Eyes when Travelling

Eyes on the Go – How to Look After Your Eyes when Travelling | AD

Travelling is an important part of life. There’s no denying that it’s exciting to plan a trip away and switch off from the world for a while. For most, the buzz is in visiting a new place, and immersing themselves in a different culture, climate and cuisine. Though travelling does usually come with some challenges too. With the focus on adventure, it’s easy to forget that this new environment (and getting there) can be a bit of a shock on the body and senses, especially on the eyes.

For example, booking a long haul red-eye flight does have its perks; it’s usually cheaper and travelling through the night makes the most of precious holiday time. But what about the downside? Well, the clue is in the name… it is notoriously hard to sleep when travelling which means that many passengers arrive at their destination with tell-tale bloodshot eyes.

This happens because the lack of sleep causes the tiny blood vessels on the eye’s surface to dilate, making them to look red and inflamed¹. Additionally, dry, circulated air in a pressure-controlled cabin also reduces moisture on the surface of the eye, causing them to become dry and irritated². At 35,000ft, water vapour drops to less than 1% and around 50% of the air circulating a plane cabin is pulled in from outside³.

Try TheraTears® 5-in-1 Irritation & Redness Eye Drops

So, how can you help your eyes stay happy and healthy while travelling? One of the quickest and easiest ways to restore eye moisture when flying is to use eye drops while also staying properly hydrated by drinking plenty of water. Try TheraTears® 5-in-1 Irritation & Redness eye drops which are specially formulated to provide relief from environmental stresses like dry circulated air in five key ways:

• relieving irritation
• reducing redness
• easing stinging
• whitening eyes
• protecting eyes

They are a “one-stop drop” for your eye care needs and contact lens-friendly too. They are a suitcase essential to refresh and hydrate red or irritated eyes on the go!

“Eye drops provide gentle and effective relief from irritated, burning or red eyes by restoring moisture to the eyes”, says Jeff Jacobs, eye care specialist at Oculus, Norwich.

“They are ideal to pack as a holiday essential for a little extra help if you’ve flown through the night and your eyes are not “holiday” ready”.

In focus: Jeff’s top eye care tips when travelling 

Don’t prioritise style over protection:

Photokeratitis⁴ is an unfamiliar term to many but can be surprisingly easy to develop this condition when travelling. It is essentially a sunburned eye, caused by overexposure to ultraviolet light and symptoms include redness, pain and sometimes blurred vision, usually developing 6 to 12 hours after UV exposure. Although these symptoms are temporary, they are the result of painful eye damage and so it’s vital to wear the correct eye protection. According to a recent survey ,1 in 4 UK adults buy sunglasses based purely on style⁵ but it’s very important to choose ones that actually work and provide the recommended UV protection. Look for sunglasses that carry the CE mark and labelled UV 400 as they provide nearly 100% protection from ultraviolet light⁶. Eye drops are not a substitute for adequate eye protection.

Drop it like it’s hot

Eye drops are a travel essential, providing relief for dry, irritated or sore eyes caused by a host of travel stressors from a lack of humidity and increased exposure to sunlight to disrupted sleep. TheraTears® Irritation & Redness eye drops are specially designed to soothe eye irritation by calming irritated and bloodshot eyes and reducing redness and are easily available in Boots and now in Holland & Barrett.  

Just keep swimming

It is important to wear goggles when swimming in the pool. Prolonged exposure to chlorine can cause irritant conjunctivitis⁷. This chemical plays havoc with eyes because it can disrupt the tear film that protects the surface of your cornea⁸. As your eyes become dehydrated and the chlorine corrodes their protective film, your eyes are very likely to become irritated, sore and painful. And don’t forget that swimming in contact lenses is not recommended due to the potential for painful infections.

Double up

It’s happened to the best of us; lost sunglasses while swimming in the sea or (more likely) sat on them. It’s a very good idea to pack an extra pair and that also goes for prescription glasses or contact lenses. Nobody wants to waste precious holiday time tracking down an English speaking optician in an unfamiliar place to replace broken or lost glasses or contacts.

Prioritising eye care while travelling helps eyes to return home as refreshed as the rest of the body. Always refer to product information and seek advice from a healthcare professional if symptoms persist.

TheraTears® Irritation & Redness (10mls £5.99) available in Tesco, Boots, Amazon and Holland & Barrett.

• ¹ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/why-are-my-eyes-red-when-i-wake-up
• ² https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23412090/
• ³ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/staying-healthy-on-a-plane
• ⁴ https://www.college-optometrists.org/clinical-guidance/clinical-management-guidelines/photokeratitis_ultraviolet_uv_burn_arceye_snowblin
• ⁵ https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/sunglasses-eye-health-uv-protection-33079336
• ⁶ https://www.fda.gov/consumers/consumer-updates/tips-stay-safe-sun-sunscreen-sunglasses
• ⁷ https://health.clevelandclinic.org/how-does-chlorine-affect-your-eyes
• ⁸ https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18245965/

Collaboration.