Checking In With Eye Health While Travelling

How to Take Care Of Our Eyes When Travelling

In the midst of the excitement of travelling and the zillion things you have to get ready, and have lined up to enjoy, attention to eye health can easily be forgotten or not even thought about. But eye problems and eye infections can abruptly disrupt holiday enjoyment.

Pharmacist Sultan Dajani, advisor to GoldenEye® – – a range of pharmacy drops and ointments to treat conjunctivitis, styes and blepharitis – notes: “We might not think of it, but when travelling, our eyes are constantly at risk, even from the moment we get on the plane, or take that train journey. Conditions like styes, conjunctivitis and blepharitis are all too common when travelling.”

In this latest e-news, GoldenEye® and pharmacist, Sultan Dajani,  take a look at some of the eye health travel triggers to be aware of; common eye health challenges to watch out for, whether holidaying at home or abroad and what self-care measures to follow to help tackle eye health miseries.

A-Z of Eye Health Travel Triggers

Pharmacist Sultan Dajani, advisor to GoldenEye® continues: “There are many travel triggers that can cause problems for our eyes; here is a fast summary to the key challenges:

• Air Travel: “The cabin pressure, low humidity and oxygen levels in the plane can cause eye discomfort, with eyes becoming dry. For contact lens wearers, this can be even more apparent, especially if you take a nap in them on the plane.”

• Allergens: “When visiting other countries, there may be allergens in the air we aren’t thinking about. For example, it could be winter in the UK, but visiting, say, Australia, it could be their hay fever season. During the spring and summer seasons, there are increased levels of flower, grass, and tree pollen contributing to hay fever.

“Besides pollen and hay fever, other allergies that may affect the eyes include dust mites, animal dander (tiny flakes of skin or hair), foods (such as nuts, fruit, shellfish, eggs, cow’s milk), insect bites and stings, latex, mould, and household chemicals^[1].”

• Bacteria & Germs: “Though we may be travelling, we still need to be on our game when it comes to bacteria and germs, which could be lurking on surfaces, in water or even simply by using shared items. If we then touch our faces, these bacteria can enter via the eye, most probably resulting in conjunctivitis, which isn’t fun when on holiday.”

• Contact Lenses: “There are several travel-related factors that can impact contact lens wearers. From the dry air in planes, warm temperatures, water getting in the eyes when swimming, and even a lack of handwashing when inserting the lens can all spell trouble, resulting in red, itchy eyes or eye infections, and having to switch from contact lenses to glasses.”

• Dehydration: “Being in warmer temperatures, or out and about all day, means we should be drinking more fluids to keep ourselves hydrated. Dehydration impacts the body similarly to warm temperatures, as reduced hydration levels lead to decreased tear production. Consequently, this can cause the eyes to become itchy, dry, and irritated.”

• Hygiene: “We may also be travelling in countries where hygiene levels are low, or on excursions where we don’t always have access to clean running water to wash our hands. There are also the germs and bacteria lurking on planes, buses and trains that can easily be spread to the eyes.”

• Medications: “Some medications can affect the eyes and cause discomfort, resulting in dry eyes or discomfort from light. Add this to travelling and the other factors, and it could be a perfect storm. It’s also important to take any medication as directed, and not to miss any while travelling.”

• Pollution: “When visiting large cities, you may notice a lot more pollution in the air. Like other airborne allergens, pollution particles can irritate the eyes, causing them to become red and itchy and at greater risk of developing conjunctivitis.”

• Swimming: “Swimming in pools helps cool us down, but chemicals like chlorine, used to keep germs at bay, can leave a sting in the eyes, causing them to appear red and irritated. Similarly, swimming in the sea with its saltwater can also cause problems for the eyes.”

• Time-zone changes: “Not something often thought about when it comes to eye health, but changes in time zones affect sleep, can leave us feeling jet-lagged, all resulting in tired, dry eyes. If you already take eye medication, for example, for Glaucoma, there’s also the time change to think about to ensure your medication aligns.”

• UV & Sun: “While it is commonly known that sunlight and UV rays can harm the skin, it is also important to consider their effects on the eyes. UV light can damage all parts of the eye, including the eyelid. The National Eye Institute reports that prolonged exposure to UV rays can modify lens proteins^[2], leading to cataract formation and deteriorating eyesight^[3].”

• Warmer Temperatures: As temperatures rise and the air becomes warmer and drier, it can affect the eyes. In addition, the use of air conditioning contributes to this effect, as the warm air causes moisture and tears to evaporate quickly, leading to drier and grittier eyes.”

Common Eye Conditions

While we have looked at eye health challenges when travelling, there are three very common eye conditions we should be all aware of, especially when holidaying as a few simple self-care actions can help banish these common eye health miseries.

#1. Styes: Styes are bacterial infections that affect either an eyelash follicle or a gland near the eyelashes, resulting in small, painful lumps on or inside the eyelid or around the eye.

The skin surrounding the stye may become swollen and red, and the stye itself may be filled with yellow pus. Styes are common and can take up to two weeks to clear

According to one study, styes accounted for 4% of more than 4 million emergency department attendances for eye conditions across all age groups.^[4]

While styes are rarely a sign of anything serious, they can be painful, unsightly, and generally unpleasant until they heal.

Sultan Dajani notes: “Allergies are known risk factors for styes, and people tend to get more styes during allergy season. With the experience of itchy eye symptoms, it can feel impossible not to rub them.”

#2. Conjunctivitis: Sometimes known as pinkeye, the meaning of conjunctivitis is inflammation of the conjunctiva, which is the thin skin on the inside of the eyelid.

Sultan Dajani adds: “Conjunctivitis is often caused by infection from a virus or bacteria, or an allergy. When it happens, the blood vessels of the sclera (the white of the eye) become dilated, giving us that red-eyed appearance. The eyes may also feel gritty, itchy, sticky, burning or be watering more than usual.”

#3. Blepharitis: Blepharitis is a common eye condition, estimated to account for around 5% of eye-health-related GP visits.^[5] This condition causes inflammation of the eyelids. This can either be anterior blepharitis, inflammation at the base of the eyelid which can be caused by bacteria like staphylococci, or seborrhoeic dermatitis, or posterior blepharitis, an inflammation of the meibomian glands, which help to produce tears.^[6]

Symptoms may include soreness, itching, a gritty feeling, flakes, or crusts around the roots of the eyelashes and eyelashes sticking together in the morning when you wake up.

9 Self-Care Advice For Eye Health When Travelling – Home Or Away:

1. UV Protection. Sultan Dajani  notes: “UV light is not visible to the human eye, but it can cause damage to both the eyes and skin. Exposure to UV radiation from the sun can result in both short- and long-term effects on the eyes. It is advisable to wear high-quality UV protective sunglasses during the summer when the UV index is moderate or high.”

2. Pack your glasses: Sultan Dajani  continues: “For contact lens wearers, you must also take your glasses. If you should get an eye infection like a stye or conjunctivitis, then you should not be wearing your contact lenses while you have the infection.”

3. Keep hydrated: Sultan Dajani  adds: “The body is made up of 70 per cent water. Water is essential to the normal working of the body, and that includes the eyes. Dehydration can lead to dry, sore, and irritated eyes.^[7] It is recommended that we drink approximately 1.2 litres (6-8 glasses) of water every day and more when you exercise or if the weather is hot.”

4. Pack GoldenEye®: You never know when an eye infection is going to happen or where the pharmacy is when travelling. It’s worth popping GoldenEye® Eye Drops into your first-aid kit so you can deal with a stye, conjunctivitis or blepharitis straight away.

5. Evening shower: “Taking a shower in the evening can help remove allergens that may be on your body. This practice can also help keep your bedding free from allergens that could transfer to your pillow,” says Sultan Dajani.

6. Hand hygiene.  Sultan Dajani  continues: “We learnt the importance of hand hygiene from the Covid-19 pandemic, but many people have become laxer of late.According to research, we carry around 3,200 bacteria from 150 different species on our hands^[8], so if we are touching our eyes, it’s easy to develop into something else. Washing your hands well and frequently. Use soap and water when you can and sanitisers if you can’t get to soap and water.”

7. Don’t rub: Sultan Dajani details: “When our eyes are feeling itchy or gritty, the temptation is to rub them – but this makes things worse. Our hands are in contact with most things making it easy to transfer bacteria and germs to our faces, making eyes more at risk of infections such as styes, conjunctivitis or blepharitis.”

8. Be Allergy Aware: Sultan Dajani  says: “As allergies can cause eye conditions like conjunctivitis be aware of what causes your allergies and aim to limit exposure to these allergens. Grass and tree pollens (spring and summer), weed pollens and fungal mould spores are all allergens to watch out for if you are a hay fever sufferer.”

9. Eye cleanse: “Bathe your eyelids daily and apply gentle pressure with a flannel soaked in warm water for 5-10 minutes. This softens the skin and any crusts attached to the eyelids. Keep re-warming the flannel in hot water if it cools. Good eye hygiene can help to prevent infections, like styes, conjunctivitis and blepharitis from setting in,” Sultan Dajani notes in summary.