Packing eye drops for a cruise

Pack your eye drops in the bag you carry aboard on embarkation day, not in the suitcase you hand over at the terminal, so the bottle stays with you. On the ship and on shore, keep it out of the sun: a beach bag in the heat can pass the top of the label’s range, Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). Cruise lines set their own packing rules, so check yours.

Embarkation day: keep it with you

At most terminals you hand your large bags to porters, and they reach your cabin some time later, sometimes not until the evening. Anything you’ll need in the first hours on board belongs in your carry-on: medicines, documents, a swimsuit and your eye drops. If the bottle is in a suitcase that’s sitting in a hot staging area, you have no control over it.

If you fly to the port, TSA allows eye drops in carry-on bags at 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less. A bottle of Quell is .33 fl oz (10 mL), so it goes in the quart bag with your other liquids and stays in the same carry-on all the way to the ship.

Check your cruise line’s rules

Cruise lines publish their own lists of what guests may and may not bring aboard, and the lists differ from line to line and change from time to time. Over-the-counter eye drops are an everyday item, but the line’s current rules are the ones that count, so read them before you pack. If your itinerary stops in other countries, those countries’ rules apply on shore, and each publishes them on its own official customs site.

Sun, wind and air conditioning at sea

Open decks are windy. Even on a calm day, a ship moving through the water makes its own breeze, and the top decks catch the most of it. Wind speeds evaporation from the eye. Add bright sun reflecting off the water and a long afternoon by the pool reading a phone, and eyes can feel it by dinner.

• Wraparound sunglasses block wind and glare at once.
• A hat with a brim keeps direct sun off your face.
• Sitting on the sheltered side of the deck cuts the wind.
• Cabins are air-conditioned, which dries the air too. Point the vent away from the bed if you can adjust it.

Shore days and beach bags

Port days are where bottles get too hot. A tote on the sand, a backpack on a tour bus with the windows closed, or a locker by the beach can all go past the top of Quell’s range on a tropical afternoon. Keep the bottle in a shaded, inner pocket of the bag you carry, or leave it in your cabin if you won’t need a dose before you’re back on board.

If a bottle has spent time in the heat, look at it before the next dose. The Drug Facts panel has the full label, and its Do not use line reads: If this product changes color. The eye drops have a naturally milky-brown appearance. This is normal and does not indicate a problem with the product.

How many bottles to pack

Quell is sold online, and the site ships only to US addresses, so you can’t have a bottle delivered to the ship or to a port abroad. Bring what you’ll need from home. The label’s directions are Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye, which works out to six drops a day across both eyes. Multiply by the number of nights you’ll be away and compare that with what’s left in your open bottle. The guide to how long a bottle of eye drops lasts helps with the math.

Then add a sealed spare. Ships run late, flights home get canceled, and a bottle can roll off a balcony table. If you come home with the spare unopened, unopened bottles can be refunded within 30 days of delivery without sending them back. Orders of 3 or more bottles ship free.

Using drops in a cabin

Cabin bathrooms are small, and a ship moves. Sit on the bed or a chair rather than standing at the sink in rough water, so a sudden roll doesn’t bump the bottle tip against your eye. Wash your hands first, keep the cap on a clean tissue, and remember the label’s instruction: Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination.

If something feels wrong at sea

Most ships have a medical center on board for problems that come up during the voyage. Use it rather than waiting until you’re home if your eyes hurt or your vision changes. Stop use and ask a doctor if you feel eye pain or changes in your vision, if irritation or redness continues, or if the condition worsens or persists for 72 hours. For order questions before you sail, call 615.465.6041, M–F 9AM–5PM CST. The guide to traveling with eye drops covers the trip to and from the port.