It’s that time again where many of us drift into a field to escape the rigours of eye care and instead envelope ourselves in music and a range of eye health risk factors.
As a contact lens wearer, and indeed one who has previously suffered a microbial keratitis, my first dilemma is about lens wear. Despite the ubiquity of antiseptic hand wash at modern festivals, lens handling needs to be kept to a minimum. Daily disposables are the only route in my view, and the impressive acuity possible with modern multifocal designs available in a daily modality makes this a no-brainer.
I converted some time ago from a silicone hydrogel material to a conventional hydrogel as they were the only way I could ensure adequate comfort. My tear break-up time is approaching zero and you need an electron microscope to measure the meniscus height. That said, I have decided on a different approach to this year’s Glastonbury.
There is a new heavy metal stage in the Shangri-La arena this year, and the excellent Napalm Death will be playing. For this reason, I fully suspect a few all night affairs so instead will be reverting to a silicone material and will be hydrated to the gills (not with cider I hasten to add).
One final point – there has been much talk about the millennial generation being infinitely more sensible in most life matters than previous generations. One manifestation of this is the way most if not all younger people at festivals are always seen wearing sunglasses, something that was certainly not the case when I first started attending all those years ago.