When you board an 11‑hour flight, the last thing on most travelers’ minds is eye health. Yet the combination of low cabin humidity and prolonged contact‑lens wear can turn a routine trip into a painful medical issue.
Dry cabin air dries out lenses
Optometrist Valerie Kattouf, based in Illinois, explains that the pressurized environment of an airplane reduces humidity dramatically. “The cabin air has significantly reduced humidity that can actually remove moisture from the contact lens and create more dryness,” she told Fox News Digital. As lenses lose moisture, they can become gritty, cause intermittent blurred vision, and irritate the surface of the eye.
Real‑world consequences
A recent case reported by the New York Post illustrates the danger. A woman who wore contacts for the entire 11‑hour flight from Greece, and continued to wear them while swimming and showering for roughly 24 hours, returned home with severe eye pain, light sensitivity and temporary loss of vision in one eye. Doctors later diagnosed a corneal ulcer, a painful open‑sore condition that required weeks of antibiotic eye‑drop treatment and left a small scar that still blurs part of her sight.
Sleep makes it worse
Many passengers try to rest during overnight flights. Kattouf warns that sleeping with contacts in adds another layer of risk. “People often sleep on long flights, which contributes to more risk with contact [lens] wear,” she said. A dry lens can shift on the cornea, potentially scratching the epithelium—the outer layer of the eye—and leading to infection.
Practical steps for travelers
To protect eye health on long journeys, Kattouf recommends bringing an up‑to‑date pair of prescription glasses. “Wearing glasses during a long flight is more ideal for eye health and long‑term comfortable contact [lens] wear,” she said. Travelers who prefer contacts can switch to glasses before sleeping or partway through the flight.
For those who must keep contacts in, single‑use vials of artificial tears can provide extra lubrication, though they are not a substitute for proper moisture.
What fellow travelers are doing
Online discussions show many passengers have already adopted the glasses‑only approach. One Reddit user wrote, “I always wear glasses on long flights. My eyes just feel so much more comfortable by the time I land, and I don’t have to worry about taking them out at the airport or on the plane, or sleeping on the plane.” Another traveler lamented, “My eyes were so dry at the end, even with eye drops,” after keeping contacts in for the entire trip.
While the risk may seem small, the potential for lasting vision impairment makes it worth reconsidering contact‑lens use on extended flights. A simple switch to glasses can keep your eyes comfortable and protect your sight for the journey home.
Original reporting: Fox News (HLL/CB) — read the source article.
