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Why Fly with Dry Eye?
This has been a wild week for me! Even though it is the holiday season, during the past week I have logged over 10,000 frequent flier miles on too many flights to remember.
If your upcoming travel plans include an airline flight make sure you bring two things: some food (now they even charge for those tiny pretzels!) and a bottle of artificial tears.
I can't give you too much help regarding high-altitude fasting, but there's plenty to share about protecting your eyes during cross-country travel.
The air inside commercial aircraft is dry, very dry. At 25% relative humidity, the arid environment inside the passenger cabin is comparable to the Sahara desert. On top of that you may need to use that little overhead air vent. Next, you will likely spend many hours reading or watching in-flight movies (I typically skip the flick as most of them are box office duds). The point is that you blink less frequently while reading, computing, or viewing a film.
The combination of dry air, exposed eyeballs, and inadequate blinking all add up to misery. Folks already diagnosed as having dry eyes are first to suffer, but many folks without previous complaints also are vulnerable to dry eye symptoms while stuffed inside a commercial jetliner.
Take the advice of a weary passenger; avoid wearing contact lenses during air travel. Switch to spectacles and frequently apply an artificial tear supplement during the flight. Take a break every few minutes while reading or while using the laptop and close your eyes so as to keep your peepers moist.
WebMD wishes you many comfortable journeys in 2006!
Related Topics: Planes, Trains and Germs, Put Food in Your Belly Before Boarding
If your upcoming travel plans include an airline flight make sure you bring two things: some food (now they even charge for those tiny pretzels!) and a bottle of artificial tears.
I can't give you too much help regarding high-altitude fasting, but there's plenty to share about protecting your eyes during cross-country travel.
The air inside commercial aircraft is dry, very dry. At 25% relative humidity, the arid environment inside the passenger cabin is comparable to the Sahara desert. On top of that you may need to use that little overhead air vent. Next, you will likely spend many hours reading or watching in-flight movies (I typically skip the flick as most of them are box office duds). The point is that you blink less frequently while reading, computing, or viewing a film.
The combination of dry air, exposed eyeballs, and inadequate blinking all add up to misery. Folks already diagnosed as having dry eyes are first to suffer, but many folks without previous complaints also are vulnerable to dry eye symptoms while stuffed inside a commercial jetliner.
Take the advice of a weary passenger; avoid wearing contact lenses during air travel. Switch to spectacles and frequently apply an artificial tear supplement during the flight. Take a break every few minutes while reading or while using the laptop and close your eyes so as to keep your peepers moist.
WebMD wishes you many comfortable journeys in 2006!
Related Topics: Planes, Trains and Germs, Put Food in Your Belly Before Boarding
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