Envision Your Vacation

Let’s be honest, spring is inspiring not only because trees are in full bloom but also because it’s when we start looking forward to our next summer vacation. A preview of the much longed-for summer break may take the form of a weekend getaway or an evening outing as the days start to draw out. We literally visualize our vacations even before stepping out of our home. We imagine ourselves at a seaside resort eating a dish of seafood spaghetti and crunching on a tomato bruschetta or up in the mountains enjoying a cool shade on a hot sunny day. A sneak preview of our summer vacation movie then goes through our mind and we choose based on the images that make us happy, months in advance.

New Horizons
Whatever your vacation destination, my prediction is — and I’m quite confident it will turn out to be accurate — that you will choose wide open spaces where your eyes can see far into the distance, scan the horizon and savor a breathtaking view. Even when we choose smaller-scale destinations, such as a tiny Greek island, a quaint Italian village, a sailing boat trip or a stroll among trulli houses in Apulia, vacation is always synonymous with an eye-opening experience.

That was an easy guess, as I know very well how much our eyes and mind need to wander and change their focus. It is a primal urge, from the times when we didn’t live in towns or cities but in open areas, where the ability to see for many miles all around also meant sighting imminent danger and unwelcome visitors.

Your Inner Landscape
Whatever your favorite landscape — a glacier, a fjord, a sunset over the ocean, a medieval old town or an infinity pool — being able to see it well with your eyes lets you enjoy your vacation to the full. After all, that’s why we take so many photos. We simply want to capture that scenery and bring it home with us to relive those feelings and places.

Eating with your eyes, we say, meaning feeling a deep craving for something. As an eye surgeon, I hope your holiday destination will make you feel that way, ideally without contact lenses or glasses. Except for sunglasses, you need those to protect your eyes!