need survival advice for travel -help!

[ianteddy]

Well, I am travelling for the first time in 10 years with my daughter and husband and I am extremely stressed about the whole trip. Can anyone give me advice about how to cope with the dry air on the airplane, the air conditioning in hotel rooms, in restaurants, theatres, etc? I have extremely dry eyes and am not sure how I am going to cope. I am picturing myself spending most of my trip with my eyes closed, stumbling into various people and parking meters! (Hopefully, my loved ones won't let me cross the road by myself in that condition but I did hear my husband mention something about additional life insurance...
Anyway, any life or painsaving tips would be greatly appreciated!
Your kooky dried-out friend,
Erika

[msienkiewicz]

The dreaded goggles are a must......

I am on vacation with my family as we speak. I have brought a small store front with me. I have my basics as well as steroid drops, antibiotic drops, and several sleep masks. I truly must have 8 pair of goggles here, but I am proud to say that I went jet skiing today sporting my new anti fog swim goggles. I may look silly, but I will not give up.

I have put together an eye bag that I take to my softball games with a bottle of water and small washcloth, drops, and medical tape to tape my eye shut if needed. I have an additional problem to dry eye. I also have extra goggles on hand always. Keep all your eye needs handy to give yourself peace of mind.

Best wishes,
Put on your goggles and go,

Melissa

[Teri]

Erika,

I have taken a humidifier with me before -- you just have to pack it well in your checked bag. It helps with dry hotel rooms. And, depending on where you're going and where you're staying, sometimes you can turn the hotel AC off, open a window or otherwise increase the humidity in the room.

I also tend to take very long, hot showers and let the bathroom get nice and steamed up. It is a good break for my eyes after a day of who-knows-what sightseeing.

As for the airplane, Melissa is right: goggles work wonders. Tranquileyes or swim goggles or whatever. Just put in some drops, seal the goggles on and endure the flight.

I hope you enjoy your trip! Good luck and have fun!
Teri

[odydnas]

I definitely second the hot long shower in the bathroom. Actually what I do (I don't know if you can this do this), is that I take a long hot shower with the bathroom door open so that the whole hotel room gets nice and humidified.

As for bringing humidifiers, I've seen small portable ones where you attach a water bottle to it, at Target. I can't vouch for it's quality, but it is very portable and you can put it next to you.

As for flying, Tranquileyes and some books on tape really helps the flight go by smoothly. I also make sure I put in drops every hour, even tho I'm already wearing Tranquileyes. That helps prepare me to endure the airport after I land.

[LasikRelatedDES]

I wear my tight-fitting sunglasses in the airport. It's cool to look like a saavy jet-setter. And I don't hesitate to put my TranquilEyes on while waiting for the plane. Airports are dry places with lots of moving air-conditioned air.

Once on the plane, find your seat, put in your favorite drops, and put the tranquileyes back on. Flying is definitely something that can be missed.

Get a hotel where you can open windows.

I'm so sorry your condition makes something as great as taking a vacation into a stressful situation. See, this is what doctors need to know... this stuff seriously disrupts life in every way. Dry eye steals your joy.