Festival season is now just around the corner. So if you’re getting ready to head out into the fields this summer, it’s worth making sure you have everything you need to make the most of your experience.
With that in mind, here are our top tips for wearing contact lenses at a festival.
As a general rule festivals are not the most hygienic of places, but that’s no reason you shouldn’t get to wear your contact lenses. If you’re used to wearing monthly contact lenses and keeping them clean and stored every night, we recommend talking to your optician about switching to daily lenses. Because they won’t need storing overnight, you won’t need to worry about keeping them safe and away from any dirt as you sleep. That said, you may want to bring a few more than you need for the long weekend just in case any get damaged somewhere along the way.
When it comes to the perfect dailies for attending festivals, we recommend everclear ACTIVE. These hydrophilic lenses are made of silicone hydrogel and ensure a comfortable fit while retaining more water, making them ideal for hours of wear. In addition, its UV blocking provides an extra layer of protection for those gigs in the middle of summer.
We know you need to pack light for a festival, which is why everclear ACTIVE is an excellent choice. Its compact 10 pack can slide in a bum bag perfectly.
If you’re switching to dallies, bringing a lens case might seem odd. But having somewhere to clean your lenses if anything gets in them can be really handy. Just a little cleaner in the bottom of the lens case will be enough to make sure they are ready to go in no time at all.
You should also have some anti-bacterial gel with you, which can be used to keep your hands clean before you start putting in your lenses. However, make sure the gel has dried into your hands before you handle your contacts.
Sunshine and the occasional drink can actually have more of an effect on your eyes than you might think. If you become dehydrated then your eyes can quickly become dry, itchy or irritated over time. This can be quickly fixed with a bottle of eye drops to add moisture to the surface of your eyes, although make sure you can use the drops on top of your contact lenses first.
To avoid dehydration completely, try to stick to the usual 8 glasses of water a day. Bottled water should be available at almost any food and drink stand at the festival, so make sure you always have some to hand.
Hopefully your festival experience is going to be as sunny as possible, but that also means you need to be well prepared. UV rays can affect your eyes just as much as your skin, so as well as the sun tan lotion make sure you have a pair of good sunglasses with you.
Many contact lenses will also provide some UV protection, but this is very limited and really isn’t a replacement for a proper pair of sunglasses. That said, doubling up by wearing shades and UV protective lenses will ensure you are completely covered.
Contact lens travel packs are a handy way to make sure you have everything you need stored in one place. They won’t even take up too much room in your backpack, and can easily be carried around the festival if you like.
