Thanksgiving travel with eye drops

Put your eye drops in your carry-on. TSA’s page on eye drops allows them in carry-on bags at 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less, and a bottle of Quell holds .33 fl oz (10 mL). Driving instead? Keep the bottle in the car’s cabin with you, not in the trunk. If you need more, order before the holiday week, since the site doesn’t promise a delivery date.

Can you bring eye drops through airport security at Thanksgiving?

Yes. TSA’s “What Can I Bring?” entry for eye drops answers yes for carry-on bags when the container is 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or smaller, and yes for checked bags. Its liquids page asks travelers to keep travel-size liquids together in a quart-sized bag in the carry-on. A Quell bottle is a small fraction of the size limit, so it goes in that bag with your toothpaste and contact solution. TSA adds that the final call on any item belongs to the officer at the checkpoint.

Larger containers are handled differently. TSA’s page on medications says medically necessary liquids over 3.4 ounces must be declared to officers at the checkpoint for inspection, and it recommends, without requiring, that medications be labeled. A bottle Quell’s size never gets near that line, but the rule matters if someone in your group flies with bigger liquids.

Packing for the long weekend

• The open bottle you’re using now, in the quart bag if you’re flying, or in a bag that rides up front if you’re driving.
• A sealed spare if the current bottle is running low. The Wednesday before Thanksgiving is a bad day to find it empty.
• The carton, if there’s room. It carries the full Drug Facts panel, which is handy for rereading the directions at someone else’s house.
• A small pack of tissues, so you have somewhere clean to set the cap down.
• Your order confirmation email, if you ordered a spare that hasn’t arrived, so you can check its status from the road.

Crowded airports and long travel days

Holiday travel means longer lines, packed gate areas and, often, a delay spent on a phone. Two things work against your eyes there. Terminals are heated or cooled for thousands of people, and heated or air-conditioned air speeds evaporation from the eye. And people blink less while staring at a screen, so the tear film gets refreshed less often.

If you need a dose before boarding, use it in a restroom where you can wash your hands first, rather than at a crowded gate. Tilt your head back, pull the lower lid down, and let one drop fall without the bottle touching anything. The label is firm on that point: Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination. Recap it right away so it doesn’t get knocked into a seat pocket full of crumbs.

Driving to Thanksgiving dinner

By late November, a trunk in much of the country is colder than the bottom of Quell’s storage range. The label reads: Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). That lower figure is room temperature on the cool side, and a car parked outside a relative’s house in the evening can fall well below it. Keep the bottle in a bag on the seat or in your coat, and carry it inside when you arrive.

On the road, heater vents aimed at the face dry the eyes, so point them at your feet or the windshield. If your eyes need a drop, pull over somewhere safe first. Never use eye drops while the car is moving, and give your vision a moment to clear before you drive on.

At the host’s house

A holiday kitchen runs the oven for hours, and the guest room may be the warmest or coldest room in the house. Keep the bottle away from the stove and the fireplace, and somewhere small children and pets can’t reach it. The label is plain about the risk: If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center immediately. For more on staying with relatives, the guide to visiting family with eye drops covers the rest of the stay.

Ordering before the holiday week

Orders ship from Brentwood, Tennessee, and the site doesn’t promise a delivery date, so order with room to spare rather than counting on a box arriving the day before you leave. Shipping is $10.00 per order and free on 3 or more bottles. If you’ll be away when it arrives, you can ship it to the holiday address instead, as long as it’s in the US. You can follow any order on the order tracking page.

If your eyes bother you while you’re away

Travel and dry air explain a lot, but they don’t explain everything. 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. Being away from home doesn’t change that; urgent care or the local emergency room can see you if it can’t wait. For questions about an order rather than your eyes, call 615.465.6041, M–F 9AM–5PM CST.