What To Know About Wearing Contact Lenses In Planes

Oxygen, as by now you hopefully know, is vital to the health of your eyes. When deprived of sufficient moisture, hydrophilic soft lenses can become an irritant to the eye and this can lead to increased discomfort and dry eyes, a condition which only exasperates the situation and one that can quickly become very uncomfortable. As such, wearing contact lenses in planes should, if possible, be avoided because the low humidity present in such an environment contributes to the onset of dry eyes and general eye discomfort. Although rare, chronic eye problems can be brought about by wearing contacts during a flight. Hypoxia is a condition in which the level of oxygen necessary to sustain living tissue is below what is required. General aviation commuters have little to fear with regards to this issue, but it is something that pilots or other long-term aviation staff should consider.

Back to the issue at hand, namely, uncomfortable lenses in-flight and why wearing contacts while flying is not advisable. Rewetting tears and other such eye drop solutions can be used to lessen or alleviate the symptoms of dry eye, and these can be used, if desired, before or even during the flight itself. These are, for the most part, relatively inexpensive and a suitable solution should you find yourself suffering from any of the above. While the pain and irritation of dry eye should alone be enough to spur you into action, keep in mind that failing to address the issue, for whatever reason, can exasperate existing conditions or result in new ones.

And remember that if the use of eye drops fails to sufficiently alleviate the pain, it's better to remove the lenses altogether. It may be a hassle, but unfortunately, wearing contacts in an aircraft is one of those rare occasions for which they're just not perfectly suited. It is for times such as these that a backup pair of glasses should be carried with you. And in fact, most ophthalmologists recommend having eye glasses for just such a situation. Moreover, obtaining a pair of contacts with low water content may help alleviate problems encountered when using lenses in an aircraft. Contact lenses are wonderful devices, but they do have drawbacks, and wearing Contact Lenses in an aeroplane is unfortunately one such inherent nuisance.

If you're determined to wear contact lenses in a plane, to make sure that your next flight is as enjoyable as possible, be sure to take a look at the linked products to the right of this page. There you'll find artificial tears, eye drops and no doubt more than a few other surprising products to keep your eyes happy and healthy as you flit around the world!

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