Medical Preparedness · Dental, Vision, and Hearing
Dental, Vision, and Hearing: the supplies most plans forget.
Glasses, contact lenses, hearing aids, and dental needs rarely make the standard checklist, and they are hard to replace once stores and offices close. They are also among the easiest things to prepare.
By Dan Whelan, founder of New World Survival
Researched from government agencies, university extension services, and other published sources. See our sources
Planning guidance, not medical advice. This section helps households prepare for medical continuity during disruptions. Work with your doctor, pharmacist, and specialist for your household's specific medical needs.
What this category covers
Small items that decide whether someone can see, hear, and eat.
A household can have water, food, and medicine in place and still be stuck if someone cannot see without the glasses that broke, or cannot hear because the hearing aid battery died. These needs fall between the standard kit list and the medicine cabinet, so they are easy to miss.
Federal kit lists name them directly. Ready.gov's emergency kit includes prescription eyeglasses and contact lens solution.1 CDC's guidance for people with disabilities adds batteries and portable chargers for adaptive equipment such as hearing aids.2
The records matter as much as the supplies. A current eyeglass prescription, the make and model of a hearing aid, and a dentist's contact details let someone else replace what was lost. CDC also suggests checking emergency kits every six months so contents stay current.2
What these guides do not cover
- Diagnosis or treatment of eye, ear, or dental problems. Your optometrist, audiologist, and dentist handle those.
- A knocked-out tooth or eye injury: Head, Dental, and Environmental Emergencies
- Routine dental and vision care between emergencies: Preventive Care, Screenings, and Dental
- Charging rechargeable devices: Battery Banks Buyer's Guide
Where to start
Five actions. None of them needs an appointment.
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Write down the prescriptions.
Record each eyeglass and contact lens prescription in your household medical profile, with the date it was issued.
Household Medical Profile -
Keep a backup pair of glasses.
Ready.gov lists prescription eyeglasses in the emergency kit.1 For contact lens wearers, glasses are the backup when lenses or solution run out.
Medical Bag and Supplies -
Rotate hearing aid batteries or chargers.
Know your battery size and how long each lasts, and keep spares or a charged power bank with the kit.2
Medical Bag -
Put dental details in the folder.
Your dentist's phone number, your dental insurance card, and any ongoing treatment or appliance.
Grab-and-Go Medical Folder -
Ask each provider one question.
Ask your optometrist, audiologist, and dentist how you would reach them, or a covering office, if their office were closed.
Healthcare Access
Guides that go deeper
Where these supplies fit in the larger plan.
Medical Bag Without First Aid
A five-category packing guide where glasses, lens supplies, and hearing aid batteries have their own place.
Read the guide
Build a Household Medical Profile
Where prescriptions, device models, and provider contacts are recorded for each person.
Read the guide
Medical Preparedness for Older Adults
Hearing aids, vision, and mobility needs in one plan for aging adults and their caregivers.
Read the guide
Preventive Care, Screenings, and Dental
Keeping routine dental and vision care on the calendar when no one is sick.
Read the guide
Common questions
Planning questions, answered plainly.
What vision supplies should go in an emergency kit?
Ready.gov's emergency kit list includes prescription eyeglasses and contact lens solution.1 Keep a copy of your current prescription with your medical documents, and if you wear contacts, a pair of current glasses as a backup.
How should I prepare hearing aids for an emergency?
CDC recommends batteries and portable chargers for adaptive equipment such as hearing aids in your emergency kit.2 Record the make, model, and your audiologist's contact information so a replacement or repair can be arranged if the device is lost.
How often should I check these supplies?
CDC suggests checking emergency kits every six months to make sure contents are current and functional.2 Update records whenever a prescription or device changes.
Sources
- Ready.gov (FEMA). Build a Kit. https://www.ready.gov/kit. Accessed October 6, 2026.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Building an Emergency Kit (Disability and Emergency Preparedness). https://www.cdc.gov/disability-emergency-preparedness/people-with-disabilities/build-a-kit.html. Accessed October 6, 2026.
Connected guides
Dental, Vision, and Hearing connects to the rest of your plan.
First Aid
The hands-on half: emergencies, wounds, burns, and the household kit.
Medical Bag and Supplies
The kit these items travel in.
Medical Documents and Records
Where prescriptions and provider details live.
Disability and Access Needs
Communication supports and assistive devices.
Older Adults and Caregivers
Vision and hearing needs in later life.