General eye care
The main thing about eye care is to stop dust and grit getting into your eyes by wearing sunglasses in situations where this is likely to happen. Occasionally, you may get an infection, which will usually produce a yellow discharge out of one eye. However, this should get better on its own – although an infected eye will improve more rapidly if you bathe it with cooled, boiled water.

Also, avoid touching your other eye with the hand that has touched the infected one. If the white of your eye is particularly red and the discharge does not go away, then antibiotic drops will be needed. If your eyesight is obviously affected (apart from slight blurring from the discharge), then seek medical advice urgently. You should seek medical advice sooner if you use contact lenses than if you don’t, as these can predispose you to more severe infections.


Glasses and contact lenses
If you wear glasses, take a spare pair with you on your travels. Alternatively, if you usually wear contact lenses, it’s a good idea to take some glasses with you in case you need to give your eyes a rest. At least one spare pair of lenses and plenty of solutions are also required. These are not bulky and if you can’t source any, you could try to have them posted to you. Also, make sure your contact lenses are suitable for your type of trip (if you’re not sure what you need, ask your optician). A general point to remember on your travels is that if you have any sort of eye infection, stop wearing your contact lenses immediately – plus if an infected eye becomes red and painful, seek medical advice as soon as you can.

Snow blindness
A danger of travelling on snow fields or at high altitudes is snow blindness (or sunburn of the cornea). It is excruciatingly painful and feels like having sandpaper rubbed into your eyes! The eyelids can become very swollen and it is debilitating. Snow blindness can be treated by putting a patch over the affected eye and, preferably, lubricating it with some form of eye drop. However, it is far more sensible to stop it happening in the first place – and to do this, simply make sure you wear a pair of quality sunglasses with side patches or snow goggles which cut out 100% of the ultraviolet light. If you don’t have any sunglasses, as an emergency measure you can make an eye patch with cloth or cardboard and cut a narrow slit in it.

Take care of your eyes…
Your eyesight is your most valuable asset on your adventure travels – so make sure you take care of it! By following tips above, you should be able to prevent any problems or cope with them when they arise – which means you’ll have more time to enjoy your travels!