Hi..my daughter & I wear contact lens and will probably have to remove them for our long flight to Europe from the West Coast...for our "sleep/nap".
For those of you who have done this, how were you able to carry aboard your contact lens cleaner/solutions, case, etc...as there is a liquid/size restriction.
I looked at a travel set at Wal Mart and it "appears" to
be larger than what will be allowed in a carryon.
Thanks
I take my contact case with a bit of solution, and store my contacts in there during the flight.I then wear glasses until I can get my solution from my suitcase. After a long flight with only a few hours sleep, wearing glasses is just fine. Otherwise look into keeping the solution in a smaller bottle, isn't 90ml the limit?
Hi,
My solution is a separate cleaner...then, I need to
rinse with saline too. I usually have lotion on my
hands to keep them from getting dried out..which means my hands/fingers must be completely clean before I remove them from my eyes... I don't use the one step cleaners that soak & clean at the same time.
thanks for your suggestions.
I have always been able to find travel size bottles of contact solution that under the size restriction. Another option is to purchase small sterile bottle and make your own travel size.
Hi Laura,
I've thought of finding small bottles to store my own
solutions too..but sometimes they have a tendency
to leak..(sure I can place them in baggies).
Thanks very much for your suggestions.
Shirl
Try a pharmacy and get the bottles they mix ear drops in. They should be leak proof and sterile. You can also use the drop to transfer the liquid from the bottle to your contact case without making a mess.
I got Lasik in 2005 because I didn't like either the option of glasses or contacts while traveling (or tent camping, my other favorite hobby). I'm glad I did.
Your eye doctor has starter kits for when contacts are prescribed. It includes a small contact lens solution that will fit in your liquids bag for carrying on. They are usually given to the doctors to encourage them to prescribe a brand of contacts so you should be able to pick up a new starter kit for free.
You could also get a small liquid container in the travel section of WalMart or Target and fill it up with contact solution.
You can find travel size bottles at Walmart or Traget, i did.... just make sure you follow the 3x3x1 (3 bottles,max 3 ounces, in 1 zip lock bag)rule or the TSA folks will give you lip! also, you will have to pull them out of your carry on to put them in the scanner bins, so dont bury them to deep in a backpack and hold up the line (oh, wait....that was me).....
You are allowed to bring larger sizes of medical stuff, you are just supposed to "declare" it. I separate my Rx and contact stuff into one baggie and put that through with the smaller stuff (3 oz shampoos, etc.) in a separate bag.
Another thing I now do is that I get a separate prescription for the 1 day wear contacts. I take these on trips so I don't have to mess with the solution, cases, etc.
Last summer I was happy to learn that the restrictions have changed and contact lens solution no longer has to be part of the quart size zip lock bag liquid contents. So I just carried a bottle outside of the bag and had no problems going through security. I like to always have solution in my purse, easily accessible on long flights.
Contacts are such a bummer on trips. I don't mean to sound like a commercial here but ask you doctor about night and day lenses. You don't have to take them out at night because they have more moisture in them then regular contacts. You can leave them in for up to 28 day. I have worn them for over five years and they are so convient because I can just fall asleep in them. Plus, you don't have to bother with contact cases and solutions. I do bring along my glasses in case my eyes start to bother me but you can buy the other stuff over there.
Shirl - TSA does not include your contacts cleaner/solutions in your liquid size restriction bag. My daughter and I both wear lenses and our solution is not available in a travel size so we verified before travel. Check out TSA.gov site for more info. Also do not plan to buy it on your trip as brands may be different and cost is much higher. You should not have any issues but just in case I always print the info from the TSA site in case I encounter a new screener. Happy travels - Michelle
Melissa, I used to LOVE leaving my contacts in for 30 days at a time. That is, until I got the horror stories lecture from my optometrist about the hugely increased possibility of eye infections with this practice. My 20 year old daughter ignored my warnings and was surprised at the scarring that was detected on one of her eyes (from an infection after sleeping in them for weeks) by an opthamologist before her Lasik surgery. These types of infections can cause blindness. Regardless of how the lenses are advertised, sleeping in them for days at a time can be very dangerous, even though it seems convenient at the time. Trust me, I wish it weren't so risky. I loved waking up and being able to see! (sigh)
What I have done in the past is just wear my old contacts (they are throw a ways every two weeks) and toss them out when it is time to sleep... I then just wear my glasses... I find that I can put new ones in if I want once we get to our hotel.. usually I am over tired and my eyes are dry from the air in the plane... that I don't bother anymore with trying to put new ones in on the plane before we land. (and just wait until the next day and the jet lag has left me some)
I did get an eye infection once about 13+ years ago from falling asleep in old contacts... (one night) when I woke the pain was so bad.. I had to call for help to drive to the hospital... take care of your eyes :o)
I carried the travel size bottle that is 4 ounces. Because contact solution is considered a medicinal product I just put it in a separate zip lock bag and declared it with my liquid products quart baggy. I sailed through every time with no problem.
I usually wear my contacts on the day of travel until I am settled in on the plane. Then out comes the travel size container of solution and lens case and I take them out. The travel size is indeed larger than the specified amount by the TSA but it has never once been confiscated. One time I left my contacts on too long and had a heck of a time getting them out. Hope this helps.
I always travel with disposable lenses. They are very handy when trying to sleep on trains/planes/etc. As they come in individual "blisters", you don't have to carry a large bottle of lens cleaner so they are easy to stuff into your carry-on ziploc bag. It is also nice to wake up to a nice fresh pair of lenses every morning, esp. when traveling in heat, wind or dust.
I am so glad I read this thread, as I too was under the impression that my saline solution had to be 3 ounces or less and the smallest I can find in my brand is 4 ounces. It was labeled "TSA approved" and I didn't understand why. I do think I will also print out and carry that mention of saline solution on the TSA website. Thanks!
