2024-07-15
Travelling with contact lenses is perfectly manageable, but it does require a bit of planning. Most of the horror stories we hear from patients involve situations that were completely avoidable: running out of solution in a small town with no pharmacy, rinsing lenses with tap water at a hostel, or flying without backup glasses and losing a contact on the first day of a two-week trip.
Here is the practical advice that will keep your eyes comfortable and safe no matter where you are heading.
The Case for Daily Disposables While Travelling
If you normally wear monthly or bi-weekly lenses, consider switching to daily disposables for your trip. This is the single best travel tip for contact lens wearers, and here is why:
- No solution to carry. No liquids to deal with at airport security, no bottles to pack, no risk of running out.
- No case to keep clean. Lens cases in hotel bathrooms are a contamination risk you do not need.
- No water contact required. You never need to rinse anything. Open, insert, wear, toss.
- Easy to pack. A two-week supply of daily lenses is a small, flat stack of blister packs that takes up less space than a bottle of solution.
Talk to your optometrist before your trip about getting a trial box or a short-term supply of dailies in your prescription. Most can accommodate this even if dailies are not your regular lens.
Airport Security and Liquid Rules
Contact lens solution is a liquid, and standard airport security rules apply. In Canada and the US (CATSA and TSA), the rules are the same: liquids in carry-on baggage must be in containers of 100 mL or less, all fitting in a single clear, resealable plastic bag.
Practical solutions:
- Travel-size solution bottles (60 mL or 90 mL) are available at most pharmacies. Buy a couple before your trip.
- Pack your full-size bottle in checked luggage and carry just the travel size in your carry-on.
- Contact lens blister packs are not liquids. Sealed, single-use daily lens packs are considered medical devices, not liquids. You can carry as many as you need in your carry-on without putting them in your liquids bag.
- Keep your prescription handy. If you are carrying a large supply of lenses, having a copy of your prescription (a photo on your phone is fine) prevents any questions at customs.
One thing people do not think about: if you wear reusable lenses and your checked bag gets lost, your full-size solution is gone with it. Always carry enough solution in your carry-on for at least one night.
Hotel Water Is Not Sterile (Even in Nice Hotels)
This is the one that catches people off guard. Never let tap water touch your contact lenses. Not to rinse them, not to top off your case, not to rinse your case out, not to wet a lens that dried out on the counter.
Tap water contains Acanthamoeba, a microscopic organism found in water systems worldwide, including in Canada and especially in warmer climates. If Acanthamoeba gets onto a contact lens and then onto your cornea, it can cause Acanthamoeba keratitis, one of the most painful and difficult-to-treat eye infections. Treatment takes months and can result in permanent corneal scarring.
This is not a developing-world problem. It happens in North American hotels, in European B&Bs, and in Australian hostels. Any tap water, anywhere.
We had a patient who rinsed her monthly lenses with bottled water while camping because she forgot solution. That is better than tap water, but bottled water is not sterile either. It still contains microorganisms. Only purpose-made contact lens solution is safe for your lenses.
What About Showering and Swimming?
Ideally, remove your contacts before showering or swimming. Water splashing into your eyes while wearing contacts is a real contamination risk. If you absolutely must swim with contacts in (which we do not recommend), use daily disposable lenses and throw them away immediately after. Wear tight-fitting swim goggles to minimize water contact.
Hot tubs are the worst offender. The warm, moist environment is ideal for bacteria, and the jets splash water directly into your eyes. Remove your contacts before getting in a hot tub, full stop.
Airplane Dry Eye Is Real
Cabin air on commercial flights has a humidity level of around 10 to 20%, compared to the 30 to 65% you experience on the ground. That is drier than most deserts. For a 2-hour domestic flight, you might not notice much. On a transatlantic or transpacific flight, your eyes and your contact lenses will feel it.
What helps:
- Use preservative-free artificial tears during the flight. Every hour or two, put a drop in each eye. Keep the vials in your seat pocket where you can reach them.
- Consider wearing glasses for long flights. For flights over 4 or 5 hours, your eyes will be much more comfortable in glasses. Bring your lenses and put them in after you land.
- Stay hydrated. Drink water throughout the flight. Dehydration affects your tear film.
- Avoid the air vent. The overhead air nozzle blowing directly at your face accelerates tear evaporation. Aim it away from you or close it.
Time Zones and Extended Wear
Long travel days can mean very long contact lens wear. If you normally wear your lenses for 12 hours and you are flying east through 6 time zones, your "day" just became 18 hours. Your lenses were not designed for that.
Plan ahead:
- Start your travel day in glasses and switch to contacts after you land
- Or wear daily disposables on travel days so you can swap in a fresh pair midway through the journey
- Carry your glasses in your personal item, not your checked bag, so you always have them accessible
Always Bring Backup Glasses
This is non-negotiable. If you lose a contact lens, develop an eye infection, or run out of lenses, you need to be able to see. Backup glasses do not need to be your favourite pair. An old pair with a previous prescription is far better than nothing. Keep them in your carry-on or personal item.
If you do not currently own a backup pair and you wear contacts full-time, consider getting an inexpensive pair before your next trip. An affordable single-vision pair is cheap insurance against a trip-ruining scenario.
Emergency Kit Checklist
Pack these in your carry-on, not your checked bag:
- Backup glasses (current or recent prescription)
- Travel-size contact lens solution (if you wear reusable lenses)
- Extra lens case (they are small and weightless)
- 3 to 5 extra daily lenses beyond what you have calculated for the trip
- Preservative-free artificial tears (5 to 10 single-use vials)
- A photo of your contact lens prescription on your phone
Destination-Specific Tips
Beach and Tropical Trips
Sand, salt water, and sunscreen are all enemies of contact lenses. Use daily disposables you can toss at the end of each beach day. Wear sunglasses over your contacts for UV protection and to keep windblown sand out. Keep extra lens supplies in a zip-lock bag to protect from moisture and sand.
Camping and Hiking
Carry hand sanitizer for lens handling when clean water is not available. Daily disposables are ideal since there is no cleaning routine. Bring more lenses than you think you need because you cannot pop out to a pharmacy on a backcountry trail.
Cold Weather and Ski Trips
Contact lenses actually perform well in cold weather. Unlike glasses, they do not fog up when you walk indoors or when you breathe into your scarf. Use artificial tears more frequently since cold, dry mountain air dehydrates your eyes. Wrap-around ski goggles protect your eyes from wind and UV.
The Bottom Line
Contact lens care while travelling comes down to three things: plan ahead, do not let water touch your lenses, and always carry backup glasses. Daily disposables simplify everything enormously for travel, even if they are not your regular lens. A little preparation before your trip prevents a lot of discomfort during it.