Contact lenses in aviation: the Marine Corps experience

In an attempt to limit safety and health risks, Naval Aeromedical Policy has historically prohibited the use of contact lenses in the Navy and Marine Corps Class 1 Aviation Personnel (pilots), approximately 18% of whom require spectacles. Recent technological advancements have rendered spectacles functionally incompatible with some mission-essential masks, goggles, and imaging devices, thus forcing a re-examination of existing policy. Recent U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force aviation studies favorably compare the performance of contact lenses to spectacles. In order to test the application of contact lenses in the unique U.S. Marine Corps aviation environment, encompassing shipboard, land-based, and forwardly-deployed units, 90 aviation personnel assigned to several deploying squadrons were evaluated for contact lenses; flex-wear disposable lenses were the primary modality of choice. Of the subjects, 68 (73%) were successfully fit and continued contact lens wear for a period of 16 months. Safety and health were not compromised, and job performance was favorably affected. No cases of ulcerative keratitis or vision loss were reported. The first U.S. Marine Corps aviation contact lens study supports the growing belief that contact lenses can be safely and effectively applied in the critical and hazardous aviation environment.