Eye Care In The Skies

Eye surgeon Dr Anand Shroff suggests various eye care measures that need to be taken by air travellers….

Air travel, no doubt, is comfortable but for the dry air in the cabins of modern jets that causes rapid evaporation of tears from the eye's surface. Without sufficient moisture, the cornea, which is the transparent 'watch glass' that lies over the iris (coloured part of the eye) can be deprived of oxygen. This leads to irritation of the eyes that has the following symptoms:

• Redness
• Scratchy feeling in the eyes
• Vision can get blurred

In-Flight Eye Irritants

It has been a common habit among air travellers to read a book on the plane. Reading as such is good, however since one does not blink too often with a book in hand, it leads to more evaporation of moisture from the eyes. This further leads to discomfort and irritation.

Contact lenses are another cause of inconvenience to the eyes. Wearing them during a long flight can result in symptoms ranging from mild discomfort to severe pain. In this situation, the make of the contact lens makes little difference - hard, soft, gas permeable, or extended-wear - all have the same effect on the eye. As the moisture content in the eyes gets dried up in the cabin two things happen. Firstly, the cornea does not get enough oxygen and secondly the lenses dry up. In both the cases, eyes are subjected to severe discomfort causing redness and irritation.

Countering these in flight eye irritants is a must and the best way is to maintain the moisture content in the eyes. This can be done by using moisture-containing eye drops during the flight as often as possible. The drops could be anything, artificial tears or the lens lubricant or the normally used saline solution. To avoid eye irritation and other related problems, passengers and airline personnel who wear contacts should always use these drops routinely. Further, eye glasses are a better option than lenses when flying.

Blinded By Snow

As one plans to spend the vacations, the cool and snow laden locations are the most preferred places. However, escaping the brunt of the sun does not necessarily provide reprieve, at least to the eyes. Snow can be blinding too! Bright sun reflecting on a blanket of fresh white snow can reflect damaging rays into unprotected eyes. One may not know the gravity of the damage at that time, but several hours later the effects are clearly felt. Snow blindness is associated with the following symptoms:

• Sensitivity to light
• Pain in the eyes or forehead
• Gritty feeling in the eyes

In order to protect the eyes from snow blindness one should primarily use a good ultra violet protected eyewear. There are a few other things one needs to take care of while planning vacations that involve air travel:

• Carry a spare pair of spectacles especially if you have high numbers. Your spectacle prescription may also be handy.
• Consult your eye doctor to prescribe a simple and safe antibiotic eye drop in case of red eyes due to infection.
• Avoid putting spectacles in your pocket. Carry a pouch instead for safekeeping.

The Time Zone Effect

Travelling over different time zones has its effect, both on the mind and the body, eyes included. One can notice deep black rings under the eyes and puffy lids caused due to what is called 'jet lag'. This is experienced when the regular internal clock gets topsy-turvy at that moment with disrupted or irregular eating and sleeping patterns. The following suggestions may help in effectively tackling jet lag:

• Drink plenty of water. Don't drink too much alcohol, as it tends to dehydrate your body.
  
• Do stretching exercises in your seat to avoid cramped muscles.
• Walk around the cabin during your flight, if possible.
• Wear comfortable clothes and comfortable shoes.
• Be well rested before you leave.
• Make sure your pre-flight diet contains plenty of starch, carbohydrates and greens.
• Arrange in-flight meals to reflect the time-of-day at your destination.
• Set your watch to your destination time as you take off. Then start programming your body to it.
• Allow a day for each time zone to get over the jet lag.

An alternative to tackle jet lag is to take a drug called 'melatonin' which treats the disruption of the natural sleep/wake cycle, the primary cause of jet lag.

(Dr Anand Shroff is an eminent Mumbai-based ophthalmologist and eye surgeon. He runs the city's well known Shroff Eye Hospital. All the mentioned points are only suggestions and readers are advised to consult their physicians before following any of them)