#169: Best Travel Tips if you have Dry Eyes
It's almost Labor Day weekend, and many of you may be preparing for travel. I have covered how to travel with dry eyes on a couple of blogs, but I wanted to give an updated version here. Next week, I am traveling abroad, so I wanted to include a couple of tips for longer airplane travel and a warm compress mask that didn't require a microwave or an electric plugin.
It is very important not to skip out on your eye care routine even when you're out of town. The results of missing a few nights of care can be disastrous. I've been there.
I previously wrote a blog about traveling with dry eyes. You can check out that blog here. It goes over specifically all the things you need to pack in your carry-on versus your checked bag. And, if you'd like to learn more about some great travel ready makeup removers, check out this travel blog.
In this blog, I'd like to concentrate on #dryeyerelief that you can take wherever you go. I always advocate using 4 simple steps for daily dry eye relief. However, there is a travel-ready option that will cut the list down to 3 products
3 Products You Shouldn't Leave Home Without:
1) Preservative-free Artificial Tears
2) Lid cleanser / Warm Compress
3) Nutritional Supplement for Healthy Tears
1) Preservative-free Artificial Tears
With the dry environment you will experience on a flight, you may need to hydrate your eyes several times. I always recommend using a preservative-free tear for my patients. Eliminating preservatives will prevent redness as you get off the plane.
There a couple of really great preservative-free artificial tears available in a bottle. You get the convenience of carrying just one bottle, but the benefits of eliminating toxins in preservatives using these tears. My current favorites include:
Optase Dry Eye Intense Drops: The hyaluronic acid in these drops binds water to the front surface of the eye. Using these drops may even make your vision more clear.
iVIZIA: This is a new eyedrop to the US market. It has been utilized in Europe for several years. It's ingredients include both Trehalose and Hyaluronic Acid. These work together to increase the tear film thickness for up to 4 hours after a single drop compared to artificial tears containing hyaluronic acid alone.
These both come in a preservative-free bottle. You'll be able to travel with just one bottle since there are over 300 drops in each.
With the hyaluronic acid, you'll get the staying power of an oil-based tear without the blur. It's a win-win. You can use these drops as often as you'd like while you're on the plane. I recommend a minimum of one drop every two hours while you travel because of the decreased humidity on the plane.
2) Warm Compress + Cleaning Pad
EverTears is both a warm compress and an eyelid cleanser in one disposable product. There is no need to heat up the pad. Instead, simply click it in the center, and it heats immediately. No microwave or wall plug needed. Perfect for travel.
It's a simple solution for unblocking eyelid glands and restoring moisture to the eye. This convenient product comes individually wrapped so you can bring EverTears with you when you travel. It is convenient when at home, work, or on-the-go. It treats the problem at its source with a combination of heating and cleaning.
The moist warm compress delivers precise heat exactly where you need it, opening pores and meibomian glands to deliver the oils your tear film needs. After heating each eyelid for two minutes, use the cloth-covered device as a sterile cleaning pad to clear away any potential blockage to the meibomian glands for instant dry eye relief.
All it takes is an investment of 5 minutes a day for long-lasting relief. You'll begin to fell better fast.
3) Nutritional Supplement to Support Healthy Tears
Repair your eyes from the stresses of your life. Stress increases inflammation, throughout your body. Inflammation means redness and swelling.
The cause of inflammation in your eyes is not always easy to see. Sometimes the cause is within our bodies, like an autoimmune disease (Rheumatoid Arthritis, Lupus, or Thyroid disease). And, sometimes the cause is from outside sources like the preservatives and chemicals in our eye drops, contact lens cleansers, and eye makeup.
Anti-inflammatory treatments will reduce the discomfort and irritation in your eyes. Taking a supplement (like HydroEye) ensures you are taking an active role to bring down the levels of inflammation.
Inflammation is the hallmark of dry eye disease. Using a nutritional supplement works from the inside out to help promote healthy tear glands, and support normal tear production.
Many dry eye sufferers lack the proper balance of fatty acids that are metabolized by the body. Hydroeye contains a unique blend of Omega-3 and Omega-6 Essential Fatty Acids, which have been reported to reduce inflammation associated with Dry Eye and other eyelid-related conditions.
Take 2 soft gel capsules twice daily with food or as prescribed by your doctor. Taking these soft gels daily with a meal will help reduce irritation, and support all three layers of the tear film.
CONCLUSION
I bet you are as ready to travel as I am. I can't wait to get on a plane and go somewhere awesome!
Don't forget to bring your dry eye products with you. Keeping your eyes looking white, feeling normal, and vision clear is easy when you follow a daily routine. Traveling doesn't mean you need to fall out of your usual eye care plan.
Keep using your 4-Simple steps for daily eye care, but switch out some of those products for a travel-ready regimen:
Step 1: Hydrate - Optase Dry Eye Intense Drops
Step 2: Harmonize and Heat- EverTears
Step 3: Heal - HydroEye Dry Eye Supplement
And, don't forget to remove your eye makeup before getting on that airplane. Check out the Makeup Remover Guide here to find your new favorite. Happy Travels!!!
