Wearing contacts during overnight flights

[stephanie305]

Hi there! I wear contacts and I always have this dilemma when I have an overnight flight: should I take my contacts out or not? I usually wear them to the airport and take them out on the plane right before I try to go to sleep. I wear my glasses if I need to move around on the plane and then I put my contacts in again before the flight lands. It's such a pain! I need to suck it up and get Lasik, haha.

If you wear contacts, what do you do?

[monkeygirl18]

I leave them in but I have the night and day ones * I think they are called air optics now*( you wear them for 30 days and nights then take them out and put in a new pair). You could always go to your eye doc and see if they could give you a sample pair of them.

[marytini]

I never, ever, ever wear my contacts overnight. I have ones that can be worn overnight, but I never do, not after I had a terrible eye infection (more than pink eye, I could have lost my vision) years ago after sleeping in my contacts on a road trip. Since then, I am uber cautious about my eyes.

I either wear my glasses to the airport/on the plane, or do like you do and wear contacts but take them out while on the plane and wear my glasses if I need them. I really don't think it is a pain. I wear my glasses every evening though after I take my contacts out so I keep my prescription fairly current. I know not everyone does though and they hate wearing their glasses.

On the other hand, there is my sister who wears her contacts for 2 weeks straight all the time and has no issues. Besides my over cautiousness, I also experience dry-eye, so wearing mine continously just isn't an option.

[emilyinchile]

I take them out before trying to sleep. I don't get why taking them out is a pain. It's the same thing I do every night.

[GilliC]

I usually just wear my glasses when I'm traveling overnight. But I invested in a cute pair of frames that I don't mind wearing. Often my contact solution is the only liquid in my carry-on, so it's a lot easier to just wear my glasses.

If I do wear my contacts, I always take them out as part of my ritual to get ready to sleep, and then I'll put them back in during landing. But I also tie my hair back, inflate my travel pillow, inflate my foot rest, put in my earplugs, get situated under a blanket, and put on my eyemask, so contacts are a small part of my in-flight sleep routine!

[stephanie305]

Jul 4, 2012 9:16:45 GMT -5 emilyinchile said:

I take them out before trying to sleep. I don't get why taking them out is a pain. It's the same thing I do every night.

It's not so much the action of taking out my contacts that's a pain; it's not being able to see well in an unfamiliar environment. I never wore glasses before I got contacts and I hardly ever wear them. I'm just not that comfortable wearing glasses outside of my house.

[emilyinchile]

Jul 4, 2012 9:49:09 GMT -5 stephanie305 said:

Jul 4, 2012 9:16:45 GMT -5 emilyinchile said:

I take them out before trying to sleep. I don't get why taking them out is a pain. It's the same thing I do every night.

It's not so much the action of taking out my contacts that's a pain; it's not being able to see well in an unfamiliar environment. I never wore glasses before I got contacts and I hardly ever wear them. I'm just not that comfortable wearing glasses outside of my house.

Maybe you could wear your glasses more around the house to get used to them. Or maybe you need to update your prescription. I hate wearing my glasses because I don't like that I can see the blurry world around the frames, but I can see just fine with them.

[mdgirl]

I always try to take them out on overnight flights. For one thing I think it helps me sleep. Also if I don't and I'm trying to stay up the next day to adjust to a new time zone, I'd have my contacts in for a long ass time. I'm not crazy about wearing my glasses, either, so I usually do it on the plane.

[stumpy]

Don't mess with your eyes!! I also NEVER wear mine to bed . . . I learned my lesson years ago. I used to sleep in them and would wear them weeks at a time. I got a scar on my cornea and could have done serious damage. Luckily I am fine but I wasn't allowing my eyes a break from contacts.
I normally will wear my glasses to the airport when I go on long flights.
I don't wear my glasses outside of the house that often but I don't really care what a bunch of strangers think of me on a plane. My glasses are overly cute but they are THICK! (even with the thin lenses my glasses are big)

I keep wanting really cute frames but my prescription is pretty bad and most frames can't handle the weight. (sad but true)

I also think you should wear your glasses around more -- just to get used to thyem. And yes, you should absolutely have a current script for them. I knwo several people that don't get new lenses when their eyesight changes . . . not good!

[basilosaurus]

I take mine out. I'll fold my glasses into my shirt to sleep so they're available if I need to get up.

The few times I've packed my glasses I've seriously regretted it. I can't go without, and I hate sleeping with then in.

[scout8]

Jul 4, 2012 9:45:55 GMT -5 GilliC said:

I usually just wear my glasses when I'm traveling overnight. But I invested in a cute pair of frames that I don't mind wearing. Often my contact solution is the only liquid in my carry-on, so it's a lot easier to just wear my glasses.

If I do wear my contacts, I always take them out as part of my ritual to get ready to sleep, and then I'll put them back in during landing. But I also tie my hair back, inflate my travel pillow, inflate my foot rest, put in my earplugs, get situated under a blanket, and put on my eyemask, so contacts are a small part of my in-flight sleep routine!

Foot rest? I like the sound of it. Please tell me more.

[GilliC]

Jul 4, 2012 13:05:57 GMT -5 stumpy said:

I keep wanting really cute frames but my prescription is pretty bad and most frames can't handle the weight. (sad but true)

My prescription is only around -5.5, but my Kliik frames are thick enough that they could have held my lenses even if I hadn't opted for the thinnest version.

[Deleted]

I;ve never had an overnight flight but normally I do what you do. Take them out for the flight because my eyes dry way too much in flight.
Is it really that big of a deal to take them out and put them back in? It takes me no time at all to do it.

[cricketwife]

I take my contacts out at the airport before the flight because I don't like driving with my glasses and I prefer the airport bathroom to the one on the plane. I put them back in after I clear customs. I have occasionally used the airplane bathroom, but usually it seems like the line is a mile long by the time I want to put them in.

I hate wearing glasses too. I feel ugly. I feel like I can't see, but I suck it up. Like others said, don't mess with your eyes.

[keweenawlove]

Jul 4, 2012 8:38:00 GMT -5 stephanie305 said:

I need to suck it up and get Lasik, haha.

Best money I ever spent!

I was blind as a bat before I had it done so I couldn't function without glasses or contacts. I would always go onto the plane with glasses on so I couldn't have to worry about falling asleep in contacts. I just put them in either just before the plane landed or at the airport.

[magdala9]

Jul 4, 2012 8:48:36 GMT -5 monkeygirl18 said:

I leave them in but I have the night and day ones * I think they are called air optics now*( you wear them for 30 days and nights then take them out and put in a new pair). You could always go to your eye doc and see if they could give you a sample pair of them.

same here.

[Susie]

Jul 4, 2012 8:38:00 GMT -5 stephanie305 said:

Hi there! I wear contacts and I always have this dilemma when I have an overnight flight: should I take my contacts out or not? I usually wear them to the airport and take them out on the plane right before I try to go to sleep. I wear my glasses if I need to move around on the plane and then I put my contacts in again before the flight lands. It's such a pain! I need to suck it up and get Lasik, haha.

If you wear contacts, what do you do?

That's generally what I do. I don't think it's a big deal.

I often even do it on flights that aren't overnight, because the air in planes dries out my eyes.

[basilosaurus]

Even if you can wear your contacts overnight, why would you? I dream in 20/20. Are contacts really that big a PITA for people? It takes less than a minute. I don't even need a bathroom since I could do it all at my seat if I really wanted to.

[stumpy]

Jul 5, 2012 7:01:25 GMT -5 GilliC said:

Jul 4, 2012 13:05:57 GMT -5 stumpy said:

I keep wanting really cute frames but my prescription is pretty bad and most frames can't handle the weight. (sad but true)

My prescription is only around -5.5, but my Kliik frames are thick enough that they could have held my lenses even if I hadn't opted for the thinnest version.

My glasses script is like -10 and -11 . . . pretty bad. Yep, I am short and blind. Thank goodness I never had to wear braces!

[Deleted]

I wear my glasses on long flights and take them off when I am sleeping, which you should be doing for an overnight flight anyways. I have really bad eyes, but there is not much to see. You may walk up and down the aisle to go to the restroom a few times but most of the time you will be restricted to your "unfamiliar environment" of a 2 ft wide x 3 ft deep space...lol

[Deleted]

I generally wear my glasses to travel, because I do not sleep in my contacts and my eyes seem to get dry on airplanes. At home, I wear my glasses around the house all the time, but only wear them outside the house if it is overcast or rainy (I have sensitive eyes and do not have prescription sunglasses). If we're going to a hotel when we land, I'll just put in my contacts at the hotel. If I need to hit the ground running when we land, I'll put my contacts in on the plane or at the airport. I have daily disposable contacts, so I toss them after each wear and don't need to carry solution.

[elenetxu]

I refuse to wear contacts on longer flights. I get serious headaches if I do! I make sure to wear my glasses and pack my contacts.

[GilliC]

Jul 7, 2012 18:49:44 GMT -5 killercupcake said:

I just want to know about this footrest someone mentioned above. I'm intrigued.

What do you want to know?

I have short legs, and I'm more comfortable when I can put my feet up a little bit. I used to put them on top of my carry-on, but I always worried that I might damage something inside. Then I found a small inflatable footrest at a travel store in Bombay, and I use it whenever I need to sleep on a plane. Design Go doesn't make that model any longer, so I can't personally vouch for their current model, but I've been using mine regularly for over five years and it still works great.

[juliabug]

I occasionally wear my contacts overnight if I am being really lazy. On an overnight flight, I bring re-wetting drops so my eyes don't dry out. One trip I lost one of my contacts during the night. It was a pain because my extras were in my checked bag.

[GilliC]

Jul 9, 2012 17:38:30 GMT -5 killercupcake said:

Does it take forever to blow up?

Not really. 30-60 seconds, maybe? About the same as a small beach ball. It takes longer to deflate, but (at least for the version I have) it's never really been a hassle.

[stephanie305]

I'm back! I took them out

[scout8]

Jul 9, 2012 6:19:19 GMT -5 GilliC said:

Jul 7, 2012 18:49:44 GMT -5 killercupcake said:

I just want to know about this footrest someone mentioned above. I'm intrigued.

What do you want to know?

I have short legs, and I'm more comfortable when I can put my feet up a little bit. I used to put them on top of my carry-on, but I always worried that I might damage something inside. Then I found a small inflatable footrest at a travel store in Bombay, and I use it whenever I need to sleep on a plane. Design Go doesn't make that model any longer, so I can't personally vouch for their current model, but I've been using mine regularly for over five years and it still works great.

I am very tall, but I always think I would be so much more comfortable trying to sleep if I could raise my feet up some. I will definitely be purchasing a foot rest for my next long flight.