Contacts in carry on luggage

[Yzerbear19]

I just switched over to the Focus Daily contact lenses. You wear them all day and then the next day you put in a new pair. The package has 90 lenses in it and each little lense is in a small amount of solution. Will I be able to put them in my carry on bag? Would they be classified as "liquid" and fall under the 3 oz rule? I can't find anywhere on the box that says just how much liquid/solution the package contains. I really don't want to check them because I would be in a major bind if they were to get lost.

Has anyone had a problem with carrying their contact lenses in their carry on before?

 

[NotUrsula]

Contacts and solution normally fall under the "medical necessities" exception, though full-sized bottles of solution may still be challenged by some agents (and besides that, are heavy as lead.)

You should take them out of your bag and run them through separately -- I put all my liquid-containing meds + contact stuff in a separate baggie labeled "medications", just to make life simpler.

 

[crzyred]

Liquids, gels, lotions or similar items in containers of 3.4 ounces/100 ml or less must fit comfortably in ONE, QUART-SIZE, clear plastic, zip-top bag if in carry-on luggage.

Straight from airline website!
When i traveled in nov. i have everything in a seperate bag and just pulled them out of my backpack. the guy just laughed and asked if i went a little over board with my baggies, i of course said no way! but i also had my contacts with me and he joked with me, because my box of contacts didn't fit real well in the bag, saying that he should toss these out but since they were for me to see he'll let them pass. Airlines are usually pretty good about stuff like that, unless of course you tend to be like me and always run into the people who 'just love their job sooooo much!' anyway it will be fine! have fun!!!

 

[NotUrsula]

The one quart ziploc-baggie rule is for toiletries and other types of liquids, except for meds and special foods for babies/diabetics. Liquid meds do NOT have to fit in the one-quart baggie; you just have to declare them by telling TSA that you are carrying them, and offering them up for inspection.

Straight from TSA's website:

Medications

You may bring all prescription and over-the-counter medications (liquids, gels, and aerosols) including KY jelly, eye drops, and saline solution for medical purposes.

Additonal items you may bring include:

Liquids including water, juice, or liquid nutrition or gels for passengers with a disability or medical condition;
Life-support and life-sustaining liquids such as bone marrow, blood products, and transplant organs;
Items used to augment the body for medical or cosmetic reasons such as mastectomy products, prosthetic breasts, bras or shells containing gels, saline solution, or other liquids; and,
Gels or frozen liquids needed to cool disability or medically related items used by persons with disabilities or medical conditions.
You are not limited in the amount or volume of these items you may bring in your carry-on baggage. BUT if the medically necessary items exceed 3 ounces or are not contained in a one-quart, zip-top plastic bag, you MUST declare to one of our Security Officers at the checkpoint for further inspection.

The tricky issue with contacts is whether or not contact solution is a med or a toiletry. If it is a med it doesn't have to be under 3 oz., but some screeners will quibble over whether it is a medical item, so life is easiest if you can find a sample-size bottle of solution, but it is not required that you do so.

 

[Yzerbear19]

The tricky issue with contacts is whether or not contact solution is a med or a toiletry. If it is a med it doesn't have to be under 3 oz., but some screeners will quibble over whether it is a medical item, so life is easiest if you can find a sample-size bottle of solution, but it is not required that you do so.

I'm not worried about the solution. I have a small bottle of solution that I will put in my checked bag because I don't really care if that gets lost, that is easy to replace. I'm concerned about the actual contacts themselves, which would be much more difficult to replace if lost since most stores don't carry my prescription in stock. I don't know what they classify that as because they are not really a medication, but they are prescribed by my eye doctor. And they're not really a toiletry. I emailed the airline but haven't heard anything back though they did promise a response within 2 hours. I just don't want to have a problem getting through security.

 

[bab31]

Maybe call your airline and ask, they should be able to help...

 

[NotUrsula]

As a FF, I've never heard any reports of people having problems with the contacts, just the solution. The contacts are clearly medical devices; they just require storage in a small amount of liquid.

I wouldn't trust an airline to give you proper info about this topic; they misinform people all the time. It isn't their call; it's TSA's call.

 

[salmoneous]

I travel with mine all the time. Usually just have one strip in my carry on which I throw in the magic baggie. Never had a problem. There's really no reason to carry on more contacts than will fit in the baggie. If you are going on a long enough trip that you need tons, you'll be checking a bag that will hold most of them.

So, while you probably could bring them through as medical devices - that's a hassle. Why bother?

Note - remember that you can alway just buy a case and solution and wear a pair of daily lenses for a week or so. If you do something really stupid like forget to bring your contacts (not that I would know anything about that ) you aren't srcewed.

 

[crzyred]

i had a small travel size of solution with me, and put it in a baggie and showed it before going through security. they were fine with it. traveled many times, have had no problems at all with the small bottle of solution. also my bottle wasn't opened. seriously...don't worry about it!