Survey on eye comfort in aircraft: II. Use of ophthalmic solutions

Flight attendants frequently use ophthalmic solutions (eye-drops) to relieve their eye discomfort while working in the aircraft. The purpose of this paper is to present some insight concerning the use of ophthalmic solutions by flight attendants. This paper follows Part I, a survey that evaluated some of the environmental conditions in the aircraft that influenced eye comfort. A questionnaire was developed in conjunction with the Air Safety Department of the Association of Flight Attendants. The common eye problem characterized by conjunctival redness and eye irritation occurred with 95% of the 774 respondents. Furthermore, 60% of these respondents indicated that they have used eyedrops while in flight. The majority of the respondents were using an ocular decongestant; however, this author suggests that the use of artificial tears would be more effective in relieving eye discomfort in the aircraft.