Contact lens wearers should be especially careful when flying.
Signs and Symptoms
- Dry eyes
- Discomfort
- Red eyes
- Infections
Problems Are Caused By
- Low humidity
- Low level of oxygen
- Poor handling in strange surroundings
- Solutions
Humidity and Dehydration
- Low humidity in cabin
- Alcohol – freely available and dehydrates the system
- Other medications – e.g antihistamines – also dehydrate
- Some modern lenses dehydrate faster
Oxygen
- Lens dehydration reduces oxygen supply to the eye
- Lower partial pressure of oxygen in the cabin
- Falling asleep on the flight = accidental extended wear
Infections
- Pathogens in recirculated air
- Secondary to sinus or nasal problems
- Reduced resistance to infection because of:
- Impaired tears film
- Fatigue
- Less efficient solutions used while travelling
Advice To Lens Wearers
- Avoid lenses while flying, especially long-haul flights
- Consider daily disposables while travelling
- Use comfort drops to lubricate eyes and lenses
- Avoid alcohol
- Take extra care with solutions while travelling:
- Simpler systems must still be used as recommended
- No short cuts
- Avoid new or untried solutions
- Overseas solutions with the same name may have different formulation