Going on vacation? Wear contacts? Looky here.

If you’re like some of us here at the Consumer Blog, even though you make a list of things to pack when you go on vacation, you may accidentally leave something behind. Sure, you can buy shampoo, flip flops, and sunscreen almost anywhere. But if you wear contact lenses, it’s important to carry a spare pair of lenses — or prescription glasses.

Case in point: we have a friend who went on a long vacation to Hawaii last year and lost a contact lens during a ziplining adventure. And wouldn’t you know it, she hadn’t packed a spare pair. The rest of her vacation would have been a literal blur but for the fact that, fortunately, she had saved a copy of her prescription on her phone.

You see (no pun intended), you can buy contacts from someone other than your eye doctor, but the seller will need a copy of the prescription to fill your order right away. If you don’t provide your prescription to the seller yourself, the seller has to verify it with your eye doctor. And that can take time away from your fun in the sun.

To learn more about your prescription rights, see the FTC publication, Prescription Glasses and Contact Lenses.

For advice about healthy contact lens wear, visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.