Top 5 festival tips for contact lens wearers

Post on 9th July 2015

Summer is here and so is Festival season. At Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care we have had Festival loving customers ask us what they can do to minimise the hassle of wearing contact lenses in, let’s face it, not always the most hygienic (and sober) of settings!

So, we thought we’d share our advice and offer five handy tips on how to look after your eyes while at a festival and hopefully avoid a nasty infection!

Tip 1. Switch to daily lenses: The beauty of wearing daily lenses means you can bin them at the end of the day, and replace them with a fresh pair in the morning. This removes the need for storing them in solution overnight, which could pose a challenge after a few drinks and a hard night partying! We also recommend you pack plenty of spare lenses, just in case you lose or damage any.

Tip 2. Hygiene: Festivals aren’t renowned for their hygienic toilet facilities, so before inserting your lenses in your tent, use an anti-bacterial gel to clean your hands. And don’t forget to pack a hand mirror!

Tip 3. Take a lens case: Having at least one lens case to hand is very helpful in the likelihood you need to clean your lenses – festivals can be very dusty or muddy places!

Tip 4. Keep your eyes hydrated: If you’re lucky, your festival experience will include plenty of warm sunshine, probably a few alcoholic drinks and not much water. All of this adds up to risks of dehydration which can impact your eyes causing them to feel dry and itchy. We recommend you drink plenty of water and also pack a bottle of rehydrating eye drops. However, do check the packaging to see whether you need to remove your contact lenses before using eye drops!

Tip 5: Protect yourself from the sun: If you’re lucky enough to enjoy a sunshine filled festival, then don’t just smother yourself in sun cream, but slap on a hat and slip on a pair of shades. Even though many contact lenses provide UV protection, they don’t offer full eye protection and you should also wear sunglasses. When choosing your sunglasses look for styles that block both UVA and UVB rays and carry the ‘CE Mark’, British Standard (BS EN 1836:1997) and have a UV 400 label, guaranteeing 100% protection.

If you follow these tips then you should enjoy a fun filled festival. If you have any concerns then pop into your local Scrivens Opticians & Hearing Care branch where one of our team members will be able to impart advice and guidance. To find your nearest branch visit our home page.