If you suffer from dry eyes while traveling, whether by plane or cruise ship, these five tips will help make your travels more comfortable.
Note: I’m not a medical professional. These are simply tips I’ve used to combat dry eyes myself. Please consult with your doctor to find out what the best treatment is for you.
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I wore contact lenses for most of my teenage years and 20s until one day, shortly after beginning to work on a cruise ship, my eyes just turned bright red whenever I tried to put my lenses in.
The air on cruise ships and planes is notoriously irritating– especially for dry eyes– but it got so bad that my vision was still not right while wearing my glasses.
I went to see if laser corrective surgery would be feasible, and the surgeon informed me that my eyes were too dry to even have the surgery.
They described the state of my vision and dry eyes as if I was constantly looking out of a dirty window.
They recommended the last three tips I’ve listed below, and after following their suggestions for a couple of weeks, it was like I had new eyes even without the surgery.
Now, several dozen countries traveled later, and after working on cruise ships and even Antarctica— I don’t have any of the issues or symptoms of dry eyes that I used to perpetually suffer from.
1. Hydrate
Drinking more water allows your body to produce the necessary tears that keep your eyes from becoming dry.
Staying hydrated doesn’t just help with dry eyes— it’s important for keeping you healthy and well enough to travel.
Fun Fact: I once fainted on a flight in the aisle while walking to the lavatory and the medical personnel that attended to me suspected I hadn’t had enough water throughout the course of a very long day in transit.
Remember that alcoholic beverages or caffeinated drinks are dehydrating, so be sure to keep a bottle of water with you (and drink it!).
2. Remove Contact Lenses
If you’re traveling by plane and on a long-haul flight, you’ll definitely want to remove your contact lenses.
Sleeping with your lenses in prevents oxygen from properly reaching the cornea, causing the contact lenses to tighten and resulting in irritated eyes.
These problems become exacerbated on planes where the air can already be drying.
3. Use a Warm Compress
A warm compress helps to open up the meibomian glands in order to improve the oil flow into the eyes, helps the tear film, and decreases the rate at which tears evaporate.
All you need is a small, clean washcloth and warm water.
Gently press the wet towel against your eyes for a few minutes while focusing on the area of the eyelid by your lash line.
I sometimes delicately hold down the lower lid as if I’m applying eyeliner to the waterline so that the compress can reach the lower lid glands.
You can do this once or twice a day as needed.
4. Use Eye Gel, Not Eye Drops
If you have extremely dry eyes, regular eye drops just won’t cut it.
They’re not lubricating enough and only provide relief for just a few hours, if even that.
Initially, my eyes were actually far too dry to even consider laser surgery.
So the surgical team suggested that I try a regular routine of Refresh Eye Gel first.
It was literally like night and day.
After just two weeks of using the eye gel twice a day, not only were my eyes less dry, but my vision even improved— because that’s how dry and cracked the surface of my cornea was.
And if you need any more convincing to use this amazing eye gel, I spent four months working and living in Antarctica— the driest and harshest continent on Earth, and had no issues with my eyes because I used the gel on a daily basis.
I promise I’m not being paid to promote this product, it’s just the single, most helpful thing that has actually helped me with my dry eyes while traveling.
5. Use a Lubricating Overnight Eye Ointment
My laser eye surgery team also asked me to use an overnight eye ointment in conjunction with the eye gel.
This ointment just helps to keep your eyes and lids lubricated and moisturized as you sleep, kind of like a heavy nighttime facial moisturizer.
All you need to do is apply just a small amount of the ointment to the inside of your bottom lid near the corners before you go to bed.
It’s important you only use this at night because after you apply the treatment, your vision will be slightly blurry.
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