Far flung travel and contacts

[Louise Pembroke]

Will do Andrew!

[sarah.w]

Im off to NZ for 2 months (as i may have mentioned before!) and im just wondering is it really difficult to put your lenses in on planes etc and when travelling out and about. Luckily im going with my best friend and she understands how annoying it is for me. I know im going to have to take copious amounts of amidose with me and buy lots of saline whilts im out there. Has anyone got any travel tips for managing lens time etc. I dont want my trip to be ruined by my lenses-with out them though i cant see!
thanks
sarah

[Helen Turner]

Thanks for that Sweet. No it didnt ruin my travels but made it a bit awkward having to carry 2 pairs of glasses about. One sunglasses and the other my other time specs. Had less problems with dry eyes and stuff as well. It didnt help that i only got my new lenses a few days before i travelled so i was still trying to get them in properly. I'm home now and persevering but at least i can use tap water. Lol.

[Andrew MacLean]

sarah

I never found it hard to handle lenses in aeroplanes or trains. The important thing is that your hands have to be clean, and that is where the little containers of that alcohol scrub stuff came in really handy.

I have a feeling that some people may use airoplane hand wipes, but I never risked them because I was afraid that some of the chemicals might provoke an unwelcome alergic response in my eye.

I handled RGP corneals on planes and trains, and later managed to cope with my scleral on trains.

Enjoy your trip to NZ. We have friends who have just returned to Dunedin after spending ten years in Scotland. It took a bit of time for them to get used to Christmas coming in the summer again, but I guess they'll manage!

Yours aye

Andrew

[Helen Turner]

Sarah,
Never had the joy of putting lenses in on a plane. Being out and about not much of a problem, just keep a tube of Amidose and maybe some Refresh or Celluvisc vials with you as they can help with wear time. I cant see there being a problem with hygiene as much as a third world country. If the tap water is ok thats a bonus cos its less messing about cleaning your hands. glad to hear you are going with someone who is a bit patient. My partner has none and didnt help with my drawn out scleral lens routine. If it takes you 15 mins to get the wretched things in (and that's being polite), it helps when there isnt somebody huffing and moaning cos you're taking so long.

[sarah.w]

thats so true! yeah my friends are used to me taking 15 mins, it would take no way near as long if we didnt have to miraflow and saline them both the lenses! Im guessing i wont have a problem buying saline in any chemist in NZ but because amidose has to be kept cold i'd imagine i'll get through a fair few of them. I could always try and alternative like steripod blue saline. I wonder if that would make it easier? sorry to sound really silly but what are Refresh/Celluvisc vials?
Thanks so much for your advice, invaluable as ever!
x

[Prue B]

Some things have different names here *well NZ is nearly here* than in the UK, check out what is in things and check out what it is called elsewhere, then it makes it easier to get if you know what it is called.

[Helen Turner]

Both Celluvisc and Refresh are little vials or sealed plastic tubes of liquid. Celluvisc is more of a gel and Refresh is more watery. Both are great for giving your eyes a boost and getting more wear time. They can also help clean deposits of your lenses, depending how dirty they are. You can use them when wearing your lenses, you just twist the cap off and put a few drops into each eye. Blink a few times and hey presto! you can get them from most chemists or supermarkets. Asda is quite a cheap one or Superdrug. There are other brands such as Blink or some people like Systane. I prefer these as they are kept sterile until opened. I find the bottled drops can get dirt in more easily if left in a bag etc.
Its a case of trying what you think is best. Each to their own, everyone has different opinions on what works best - its personal choice really.
Enjoy NZ

Helen

[sarah.w]

thats great thankyou for telling me. I dont know why but i guessed that because we wore sclerals you couldnt use refresh drops! I used to use them with my normal contact lenses a few years back and they worked great. It would be nice to refresh my eyes for an extra hour or two especially when travelling.
Thanks

[John Smith]

As a scleral user Sarah, you may find that simply taking them out for half-an-hour at lunchtime and giving them a clean can give you several hours extra wear.