Tips to keep your eyes from saying nay.
As a contact lens wearer, you need to be aware of how airplane travel can affect your eyes.
Wearing your contacts during a long flight can result in symptoms ranging form mild discomfort to severe pain. You may even continue being miserable of a day or two afterwards. This problem can occur with all types of contact lenses: hard, soft, gas permeable, or extended-wear.
What causes the discomfort?
The cornea, the transparent "watchglass" that lies over the iris (colored part of the eye), is nourished by oxygen from the air. When contact lenses are worn, oxygen reaches the cornea either through the lenses or dissolved in tears that flow under the lenses.
However, the dry air in modern jets causes rapid evaporation of tears form the eyes surface and evaporation of the water from the contact lenses. Without sufficient moisture, the corneas can be deprived of oxygen and cause your eyes to become irritated.
The first symptoms may be redness and a scratchy feeling in the eyes. Vision can get blurred and, in particularly sensitive individuals, painful microscopic blisters can form on the corneal surface.
Reading on the plane adds to the problem because you tend to blink less frequently when you read, leading to more evaporation of moisture from the eyes and contacts.
How can you avoid problems?
It is a good idea to put moisture-containing eye drops in your eyes during a flight as often as you feel they are necessary.
The drops may be artificial tears or the lens lubricant or saline solution that you use. (Airline personnel who wear contacts and have discomfort should always use these drops routinely.)
If that does not help, or if you have previously had severe problems after long flights, it may be wiser to remove the contacts and wear your eyeglasses when flying.
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Source: Seeing Clearly Dr. Steve Briggs is an Owen Sound Optometrist.
