Why you should rethink wearing contact lenses on airplanes

‘Tis the season for travel, but here’s some insightful information for jet-setting contact wearers.When packing for a summer trip, you may be tempted to leave your eyeglasses at home and just wear contact lenses on the plane.Before you whip out your boarding pass, though, you may want to reconsider swapping for your specs — lest you end up with some pretty painful side effects.Contacts aren’t always off limits — it really depends on a few key factors.Dr.Priya M.

Mathews, the Director of Cornea and Ocular Surface Disease at the Center for Sight, says a short hop — say, from New York to Florida — should be fine for keeping those contacts in.“If your eyes are healthy, the flight is short to moderate in length, and you do not plan to sleep during the flight, it is generally OK to wear contact lenses,” Mathews, a cataract, LASIK and corneal surgeon, told The Post.But there are situations when those glasses could be a sight for sore eyes — literally.For one, on long flights — like that summer trip to Europe.That’s because the air circulating in the cabin is super dry, so the longer you’re exposed to it, the more dried-out your eyes — and contacts — can become.“Some contact lens wearers notice that their eyes feel uncomfortable, gritty, or sensitive on airplanes,” Mathews explained.

“Many are surprised to learn that these symptoms are often related to dry eye worsening in the cabin environment, leading to discomfort, redness, irritation or pain,” she added.The cabin is also pressurized for the high altitude, which reduces oxygen intake for your eyes.Combined with dryness, a whole host of gruesome problems can arise.In some worst-case scenarios, your contacts could suction to your eyeball or you might experience micro-tearing on the eyes’ surface.

Those scratches — plus tight quarters with other travelers — can leave you at higher risk of infection.Besides causing pain and discomfort, these issues could become severe enough to ...