Do I need extra eyeglasses for emergencies?
非常時用に予備のメガネは必要？
I usually wear contact lenses. Do I need to buy more?
I can not see anything without glasses.
I have old glasses, but they do not match my current prescription.
People who use contact lenses or glasses may feel like their prescription eyewear is a part of their body. I know I do. We take our lenses for granted, but really we should not. Take off your glasses, and suddenly you’re back to reality. Blurry…
災害時ほど見えないと危険!!
Please, prepare extra glasses/contacts as soon as possible ; ensure your ability to see clearly.
今すぐ予備のメガネやコンタクトレンズを準備して!!
If you and your loved ones don’t wear contacts or prescription glasses,
then this post doesn’t really apply to you. You’re lucky. Don’t ever take your eyesight for granted.
My blog has been focused (no pun intended) on emergency stockpiles, but so far I have written under the assumption that you don’t have any eye problems.
Maybe you have enough emergency water, but what if you can not see the water?
In a dire emergency, your eyesight may be key to survival. Please, if you still have them, try to find your old glasses, and set them aside as emergency backups. And if possible, make sure they’re updated with the correct prescription. If you already threw away your old glasses, get new ones.
Consider plastic lenses for your backups. Plastic lenses are strong, and they won’t shatter or crack like glass does.
I can not see far away objects clearly (I’m short-sight), and on top of that my eyes are old. I can hear the water running in the shower, but I can not see the water coming from the shower head. I will sometimes spend half a day without glasses just to reinforce my appreciation for how difficult life is without them. …I know it’s stupid, but it helps me maintain perspective, and I have also discovered that it’s kind of liberating. It’s a strange combination of anxiety, fear, and helplessness mixed with an exhilarating freedom.
💡
Here’s a challenge for you. Try to go a few hours without your glasses. Go outside and walk around your neighborhood without your glasses/contacts
試しにメガネやコンタクトレンズを外して、外を歩いてみて。
Imagine, living in prehistoric times. Back then, if we didn’t have good eyesight, it might have been hard to survive. As a myopic caveman (or cavewoman), you might have been attacked by a dangerous animal that you didn’t see coming. Or you might not have been able to find food! Now, ask yourself: are you confident you could find safe drinking water without your glasses?
In a major disaster, contact lenses are not ideal, because they are hard to keep clean.
The Japan Contact Lens Society (JCLS) advises that it is better use glasses than contact lenses in a disaster, because glasses are more hygienic. Also, you never know when the emergency will be over and things will get back to normal. If you don’t need to evacuate your home, it will likely be ok to use contact lenses. But if there is a water outage and clean water is limited, then maintaining hygiene might be difficult. Without proper hygiene, you could suffer discomfort, get an eye infection, or have to deal with other eye-related health issues.
For your safety, you should prepare backup lenses and (especially) glasses in your home.
I recommend that you keep extra glasses in the car, in your backpack or purse (whichever bag you use most frequently),
and next to your pillow while you sleep. Also, be sure to keep a record of your prescription for after the disaster.
予備は日常よく使うバッグの中、車、防災用バッグ、枕元に。
Many people forget about eyeglasses when preparing for emergencies and focus primarily on water and food. Eyesight is important too.
Find your old glasses, and keep their prescriptions updated.
昔使っていたメガネを探し、現在の度数にして非常用に。
Here’s a challenge for you. Try to go a few hours without your glasses. Go outside and walk around your neighborhood without your glasses/contacts. You’ll understand what I’m talking about.
I am sorry to suddenly change the subject from water to eyeglasses. Today’s post is a bit of a tangent, and for that I apologize. But I feel this eyeglass topic is extremely important. I will get back to water next time.
See you soon.
Remember, “Protect your life by yourself” （自分の命は自分で守る). You need to survive first, and then you need your emergency supply. No matter how well you prepared your emergency supplies, if you die, then all of your preparations will have been for nothing. First and foremost, keep your health up all the time. Build your stamina so that if you need to, you can evacuate as quickly as possible. Stay healthy