5 Travel Fitness Tips for Contact Lens Wearers
As travel experiences continue to evolve, among the latest trends is combining travel and fitness for a more rewarding and enriching journey.
Travel fitness can take many forms, from mindfulness retreats that highlight activities like yoga and Pilates to destinations suited for outdoor activities like hiking and trekking.
The growing popularity of hotel gyms also enables travelers to stay active and maintain their fitness progress, whether they do cardio workouts or need advanced machines for strength and resistance training.
Even when gyms and fitness centers aren’t available at your chosen accommodation, a previous post outlines no-equipment workouts that can be done in the comfort of your hotel room to help you stay fit throughout your trip.
These include muscle-building exercises like pike push-ups and reverse lunges, and CrossFit-inspired sets with handstand push-ups, pistol squats, and sit-ups.
Even if you don’t have to bring exercise equipment to reap the benefits of travel fitness, there are still essentials you must remember to pack, such as activewear and athletic shoes to maintain optimal comfort while working out.
If you have a vision impairment like myopia or astigmatism, you must also consider eyewear that can provide clear vision to minimize the risk of injuries while exercising.
In this case, contact lenses are a popular option for vision correction during travel and physical activity, especially as a great alternative to eyeglasses.
This article highlights contact lens benefits and tips for safe and healthy use among travel fitness enthusiasts.
Benefits of Contact Lenses for Travel and Exercise
According to The Vision Council’s Consumer InSights and Market inSights report in 2024, the continued growth of the optical industry has resulted in an increase in contact lens purchases, which reached the highest rate in two years.
More than 20 million pairs of lenses were sold, with three in four (78%) contact lens wearers making a purchase within the past year.
Wearing contact lenses can have various benefits, from seamless vision correction to comfort and convenience. To start, contact lenses correct common vision problems like myopia, astigmatism, and presbyopia while still looking and feeling natural as they move with the eye.
The direct placement on the eye’s surface also makes contact lenses particularly suitable for activities like travel, sports, and exercise since they can stay in place and improve peripheral or side vision for more optimized movement and performance.
As you consider wearing contact lenses for yourntravel fitness plans, the following section provides helpful tips to maximize their benefits.
Tips for Safe and Healthy Contact Lens Use
Get Your Updated Prescription
As you prepare for your next travel fitness experience, don’t forget to schedule an appointment with a qualified optometrist to get your updated prescription.
By monitoring your visual acuity accurately, the optometrist can prescribe the right type of contact lenses for your vision needs, such as single-vision lenses for myopia and hyperopia and specially designed toric lenses for astigmatism.
Getting an eye exam can also involve contact lens fitting, which reduces the risk of pain and discomfort while traveling, working out, and doing other day-to-day activities.
Choose Wear Times Suitable for You
In addition to getting the right contact lens fit and prescription, consider which wear times are suited to your travel and fitness plans.
The selection of contact lenses on leading retailer Target Optical includes daily disposables and monthly replacement lenses from top brands like Dailies, Acuvue, and Precision1, with the option to pick them up in-store ahead of your trip.
If you plan to explore and stay active outdoors where clean water may not always be accessible, it’s best to opt for daily lenses that can be replaced with a fresh pair after every wear.
Meanwhile, monthly lenses may be more practical and cost-effective for longer trips. Regardless of your preferred wear time, the lenses offered by the retailer typically use soft materials like silicone hydrogel to maintain optimal comfort.
Consider UV Protection
While contact lenses are convenient for outdoor use due to unobstructed clear vision, eye health experts remind wearers like you to prioritize ultraviolet protection.
The sun’s UV rays can otherwise harm the eyes and degrade your vision, whether you’re practicing yoga on a tropical island in Bali or doing your morning jog around your hotel.
As such, you can invest in contact lenses with UV-blocking properties, such as Johnson & Johnson’s Acuvue lenses, which can block at least 82% of UVA and 97% of UVB rays.
However, this must be combined with UV-protective sunglasses for adequate and broad-spectrum protection against the sun’s harmful rays.
Bring Eye Drops
One potential side effect of contact lenses is dry eyes, as they can restrict optimal oxygen flow on the eye’s surface and thus disrupt the tear film‘s functioning.
Fortunately, you can pack eye drops to lubricate the eyes and maintain tear film stability.
Biotrue’s Hydration Boost Contact Lens Drops are a viable option, as this preservative-free solution can re-wet soft contact lenses and provide up to 8 hours of moisture.
Make sure to also stay hydrated as you go sightseeing and work out, as dehydration from excessive sweating can also affect the eyes and exacerbate ocular symptoms.
Practice Proper Hygiene
Lastly, ensure safe and healthy contact lens use by practicing proper hygiene, starting with keeping your hands clean before applying and removing contact lenses.
Eye care professionals also highly advise storing your contacts in a sterile container and rinsing them with a trusted contact lens solution to reduce the risk of contamination and eye infection.
Overall, contact lenses can help you see clearly, stay active, and look and feel your best as long as you remember to choose them carefully and adopt care and hygiene practices.
