Systematic review: The ocular surface in the aircraft environment

Area of Science:

• Ophthalmology
• Aerospace Medicine

Background:

• The aircraft environment poses risks to the ocular surface, with studies showing dry eye disease symptoms and objective signs.
• Increased ultra-long-haul flights necessitate a deeper understanding of flying's impact on eye health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review current knowledge on how the aircraft environment affects the ocular surface.
• To guide future research and interventions for ocular surface health in aviation.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was conducted using Google Scholar, PubMed, and ScienceDirect.
• Keywords included terms for aircraft (e.g., 'flying', 'long flights') and ocular surface (e.g., 'dry eye', 'ocular surface').

Main Results:

• Thirty studies were analyzed, identifying key environmental risk factors.
• Primary factors affecting the ocular surface in aircraft include low humidity, temperature, air velocity, pressure, and air quality.

Conclusions:

• The aircraft environment demonstrably affects the ocular surface.
• Future research should focus on developing strategies to mitigate these adverse effects.