Wearing Contacts + International Flying

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9-5 Ruins Lives
After 20+ years of successful LASIK, I've needed glasses of late and thinking about trying contacts again. Anyone flying international gigs doing the contact thing?

Wondering if the new fangled daily contacts work with a nap schedule and how managing wearing contacts might work with an upside down schedule.
 
It isn't that bad. Unless you are doing super long haul your naps on break aren't long enough to matter IMO.

When I got to the hotel I would take my contacts out for my nap and put them in a mild solution like opti-free rather than one using a hydrogen peroxide version.

I never have worn dailies. I have always just used monthly contacts. I also don't fly international any more but I will again one day.

IMO it seems like daily contacts may be better but I don't know what it is like napping with them compared to monthly contacts. Obviously you would just replace them in the hotel so that nap wouldn't be an issue.

I will say, dailies will help a ton with places like the UK. While I hear LHR has improved, airport security in the UK is horrible and you will lose liquids.
 
I’ve been flying with daily contacts for 20 years now. I’ve never had an issue with our longer legs with augmented crew and sleeping. I also use the daily’s for about a week and clean them every night.
 
Stone Cold said:
I was flat out told by my AME either wear glasses, or get LASIK, as you’ll end up with an eye infection. I got LASIK in 2019. Ymmv.
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I wouldn't sleep with them in. Even the ones that say you can I always ended up waking up with them extremely dry and barely being able to see for a while. But... I've heard some pretty wacky stuff from AMEs so I'd be hesitant to write off contacts based on that, not that it matters for you after LASIK. That said, I don't fly long haul but I've switched back to dailies after wearing monthlies for almost 20 years. They're so much better and not having to lug around or buy solution is a huge game changer. Seems much cleaner and I seem to have less issues. I'd also on occasion have a weird issue where the pressure changes would make a contacts case leak all of the solution out and I'd open them up to find my contacts ruined in a completely dry case.
 
Stone Cold said:
I was flat out told by my AME either wear glasses, or get LASIK, as you’ll end up with an eye infection. I got LASIK in 2019. Ymmv.
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I've been wearing contacts for 30 years, no infections. Unless the AME is also an eye doctor, I would take that with a huge grain of salt.

For what it is worth, I went through the FAA hoops with an AME and an ophthalmologist to be allowed to use multi-focal contacts. They are amazing - you don't need reading glasses, or regular glasses. For something like an airplane, where you switch between looking at charts and looking at things far away constantly, I think they are a lot safer, and certainly more convenient.
 
I didn’t explain very well on that. I was merely answering from a long haul perspective. I wore contacts for years flying, but when I started at MRDSCC, I was talking to my AME. He asked if I ever took my contracts out while flying, and I said yes, when I have long breaks. He said if you continue to do that in a nasty cargo plane, you’ll eventually get an eye infection. I agreed with him on that. If you’re not taking the contacts out, it’ll be different. I’m merely talking 8+ hour legs.
 
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