What are contact lenses wearers to do?

[erinch]

If I were flying in the next couple of weeks, I'd check with my doc and see if there were any prescription wetting solution available. Or if it's possible to get a prescribed label for an OTC solution.

That might be the doorway around this

 

[Lewisc]

The OP should go back to his eye doctor. Eyeglasses can correct astigmatism, you probably need an updated prescription.

 

[Hannathy]

Just had to chime in that glasses do correct astigmatisms! My DH and I both have one and both wear glasses.

I will gladly fly without any carry ons if I need to, just think how quick boarding the plane will be!

 

[Simba's Mom]

This just makes me FURIOUS! The airports better get their act in gear NOW. They SOLD it to someone at the airport AFTER is passed security and now you can't carry it on. What I want to say is banned on the DIS!!!!

I am sorry, but if they dont' think those items in the "Sterile" zone are secure WHAT ARE THEY DOING THERE?? Either you screened them and they are fine are you didn't in which case you are incompetent and should be fired! Which is it?? The TSA's whole "safety" plan has a few MAJOR flaws... Apparently ou are only safe while at the screening zone since the items at the shops at the gate can't be trusted!!!!

ITA! Hopefully, this was only because it was the first day of the new rules and TSA hadn't gotten to the stores yet. And hopefully, the store employees just didn't know all the new rules. But something better happen FAST! The screening at the airplane is supposedly to "double-check", in case the passenger was able to sneek anything by security, so they still don't take it on the plane. Maybe what's sold in the "sterile" zone needs to be marked somehow?

 

[Lewisc]

Contact lens companies have sample size packages that are given away by eye doctors. I wonder if they could arrange to either give them out at the hotel or allow airlines to distribute them, either on the plane or at least when you leave the plane at your destination. Most of the rewetting drops for soft lenses are basically saline.

Most of us would be happy if the airline gave us a sample size bottle of drops.


I'm not sure the screeners want to be trying to decide if the factory seal was tampered with. I'd be shocked if the terrorists couldn't reseal a package.

Screening at security isn't 100%. The second screening when you board the plane is to catch what may have been missed the first time. It may be necessary because the stuff in the sterile area was never checked on the way in.

 

[CarolA]

Screening at security isn't 100%. The second screening when you board the plane is to catch what may have been missed the first time. It may be necessary because the stuff in the sterile area was never checked on the way in.

Which is a violation of the TSA's OWN secuity standards and IF that is true then what good was ANY of the prior security and heads should role......

 

[Miss Jasmine]

I'm so glad I had LASIK.

Seriously, yes this is a bit PITA, but it is what it is right now. I have checked contacts before with no problems. As for the rewetting drops, perhaps some sort of prescription?

 

[clkelley]

When I had LASIK, my doctor wrote me a prescription for several different types of drops, only one of which was truly a prescription. The rest was just OTC stuff. The pharmacist put labels on all of them as prescriptions (mainly because they saved me sales tax). But it is possible to get a prescription label for OTC stuff.

 

[erinch]

our DS had severe allergic conjunctivits (sp??) which could be corrected by an OTC eyedrop. The doc wrote a scrip, and hte pharmacy printed a label for the OTC product for his school, so he could carry it with him.

 

[sixcats]

I just got finished going through my usual carryon bag. I always carry my glasses in a case, a lens case filled with solution and a spare set of lens(factory sealed). This time I'm packing an old set of glasses in bubble wrap since I heard glass cases may be conficated. Instead of new lenses, I'm bringing the case filled with solution and changing lens the night before putting the old ones in the lens case. This way I have backups if I need them, but they are no big loss if broken or confiscated.

If a lens case with solution is allowed, can't those of you that need to rewet your lens pick up a medicine dropper and use that in place of bottled solution?

 

[NotUrsula]

As for the airside sales ... Based on information I've read in the British press (mainstream press, not tabs or blogs), I believe that the reason they are 2-stepping on this right now is that at least one of the persons arrested in this plot was the holder of an all-access pass at Heathrow; he was an airport authority employee. I think that the fear is that there may be others like him, and that one of these insiders might have hidden a tampered bottle of something airside somewhere. Until they have had sufficient time to go over every inch of every airport with a fine-toothed comb, they are going to try to err on the side of caution.

Now, this is just speculation on my part, but I think that what will happen is that all stocks of liquids or creams that are currently in airside stores will be taken out and replaced with versions that have special airport-only packaging, and that once those are available, you will once again be able to buy products airside and carry them on if the seals are intact. Duty-free is TOO big a money maker to be discontinued.

Reuters is reporting that among the items they found in the raids was a bottle for a Gatorade-type drink that was still factory sealed at the top, but had been altered to have a false bottom halfway down, so that the person carrying it could show that the seal was not broken, or even open it and drink from it, without ingesting the contraband substance. The presumption is that the volatile chemical would be colored to match the rest of the contents. To catch something like this, you would need for the bottle to NOT have a band-type label that could conceal the air gap in the center, which is not the case right now with almost any plastic drink bottle.

Contact solutions bottles are mostly opaque. I think that the packaging will have to be changed before they will be allowed back on aircraft. Overall, I'm thinking that this is a good time to invest in the consumer-products packaging industry.

 

[ducklite]

As for the airside sales ... Based on information I've read in the British press (mainstream press, not tabs or blogs), I believe that the reason they are 2-stepping on this right now is that at least one of the persons arrested in this plot was the holder of an all-access pass at Heathrow; he was an airport authority employee.

Then they should have immediately ceased sales of all non-consumable liquids, and sales of all liquids not likely to be consumed prior to boarding the plane (ie wines and liters of alcohol).

Allowing sales of items such as perfume and such was complete irresponsibility.

Anne

 

[bavaria]

The OP should go back to his eye doctor. Eyeglasses can correct astigmatism, you probably need an updated prescription.

Thanks, Lewis for restating this - I mentioned it in my earlier post but I need to be more direct. (I know that you or Bicker will come along and clarify if needed! )

I've been wearing glasses/contacts since age five and am almost at the end of the spectrum for contacts now, with my eyes continuing to get worse. My glasses do such a good job at correcting astigmatism that I have trouble adjusting to them (I wear Acuvue lenses now after years of gas permeables - the gas perms were too hard on my corneas)

I don't understand why ppl can't just plan on wearing glasses. On a recent transatlantic Lufthansa flight, I swear that every single passenger in the business class cabin was wearing glasses. We were all wearing our super trendy German specs

 

[Madi100]

I wear contacts, and I have a astigmatism. While it can be corrected by glasses, I see much better with my contacts, especially since I haven't had my glasses prescription corrected for quite some time. We fly early, and I often times carry my contacts on the plane with me to put in after I've woken up a little bit more. I always carry a water or beverage of some type on with me, because I think it gets extremely dry, and I tend to get a bit sick on planes. A drink helps that.

However, I will gladly give that all up if I can be assured that I am safer. Since I'm not driving on the plane, I will be in my glasses. I also only have partial vision in my left eye, and my glasses don't do much at all in that eye. Contacts are definitely different.

I'm glad that they are being strict. I'm glad that they are going overboard. I am not worried in the least bit to fly. I'm not going to cancel my flights just because of this. I'm not sure why people would be complaining about inconvenience when it means that lives could be saved.

Maybe you could ship your contacts to the resort if you don't want to check them. If you are using DME then maybe you could grab one of your checked bags before boarding the bus. There are many solutions to the problem without compromising safety.

As a side note, I have always checked my contact solution and spare contacts. I've never had a problem with them. The solution has never been sealed either.

 

[NotUrsula]

Then they should have immediately ceased sales of all non-consumable liquids, and sales of all liquids not likely to be consumed prior to boarding the plane (ie wines and liters of alcohol).

If you saw yesterday's lines at LHR, it is understandable why someone might have wanted to while away the time with a bottle of wine. There are transit passengers now in the intl. terminal who have been there long enough to have finished 2 litres of whisky and sobered up already.

Seriously, the news about the employee being arrested did not break until the shops had already been open for quite a while. It is my understanding that they did stop selling them after it was clear that they would not be allowed on board ANY aircraft.

BTW, as to just wearing glasses to fly, the problem is that because of the popularity of disposable and extended-wear lenses, many contact wearers don't even own glasses any more. For the occasional flier, buying a pr. of glasses just for this purpose is kind of a large expense.

 

[antmaril]

Just don't do what several passengers on DH's flight tried to do today. They thought that once through security, they'd be OK, so after having had to throw away their contact solution at security, they bought another container at one of the little stores inside security, by the gates. Surprise! Another bag check before they got on the airplane, so the newly bought contact lens solution was confiscated too.

Talk about STUPID -- and these people get to vote. YIKES!!!

Did these people really think that they would get away with this - unbelievable. Why is it some people just don't think the rules apply to them - I don't get it and I never will.

 

[Lewisc]

For anyone reading this thread that's not a good idea. At times your eye may be irritated or you might get conjunctivitis and need to wear glasses until the condition clears up. I wouldn't do it with my prescription but there are web places that will do a pair of glasses for something like $20.

BTW, as to just wearing glasses to fly, the problem is that because of the popularity of disposable and extended-wear lenses, many contact wearers don't even own glasses any more. For the occasional flier, buying a pr. of glasses just for this purpose is kind of a large expense.

 

[NotUrsula]

Hey, I didn't say it was wise, just that it is common! I have daily-wears myself, so I do have specs, too, which I wear every night to read in bed.

When I fly tonight my lenses will be in my eyes, my lens case in my pocket, and my specs in my carryon. My spare solution will be checked.

 

[tjmw2727]

I wonder if the single use vial rewetting drops will be allowed. I love these for travel, its a plastic package with enough re-wetting solution for a drop or two in each eye. My dh flies from Phi to CA on Sat so he likely be wearing a pair of lenses, packing a pair in his checked bags and bringing his glasses in his carryon. He is hoping to bring the single use drops as his eyes dry out when flying, if not he will probably have to just wear the glasses.

TJ

 

[Lewisc]

Eventually something like that will probably be allowed BUT probably not by tomorrow.

I wonder if the single use vial rewetting drops will be allowed. I love these for travel, its a plastic package with enough re-wetting solution for a drop or two in each eye. My dh flies from Phi to CA on Sat so he likely be wearing a pair of lenses, packing a pair in his checked bags and bringing his glasses in his carryon. He is hoping to bring the single use drops as his eyes dry out when flying, if not he will probably have to just wear the glasses.

TJ