The flight acceptability of soft contact lenses: an environmental trial

Seventeen officer aircrew, wearing soft contact lenses, were subjected to adverse conditions likely to be encountered in military aviation. The stresses included hypoxia, rapid decompression, pressure breathing, vibration, climatic extremes, G forces, and the prolonged wearing of an aircrew respirator. Their visual performance wearing contact lenses under stress did not differ significantly from the control values; either when wearing corrective flying spectacles or contact lenses when not under stress. It is considered that from the environmental standpoint soft contact lenses are suitable for aircrew. As contact lenses may not be tolerated by all, and may cause undesirable side-effects in some, their use should be restricted to the aircrew to whom they offer the maximum advantages. The group most likely to benefit are young, well motivated myopes flying fast jets.