Sport Pilot Talk

Since the first time I flew my ultra light 4 years ago I remember my instructor saying something about my eyes being very bloodshot. I never saw it and not flying with anyone, nobody else ever did. Now that I have my ticket and take up other people almost every single time after we land the person says "woah your eyes are really bloodshot". I have yet to run to a mirror to see this but I am beginning to wonder why this is. The airplane I fly is an open air cockpit. My eyes usually have that pollen feel like I just got done mowing a lawn when we land, so during the summer I figured it was allergies but at this point I'm sure it isn't. I wear contacts and goggles when I fly.

I know sometimes that altitude / pressure change can cause blood vessels in the eyes to enlarge but I'm only at about 2-3k agl usually.

Any ideas? It doesn't seem like a serious issue to me but I'm curious why this always happens and if anyone else has experienced it.

Does the same thing happen when you ride a motorcycle? Drive a convertable top-down? If so, get yourself to an opthamologist and get tested for Dry Eye Syndrome.

Hm not sure. I have a sandrail and motorcycle that I drive the majority of the time in the summer and no one has ever said anything. I'm not riding my bike or sandrail much this time of year though. Maybe I'll take my bike out for a cruise tomorrow and look in the mirror after words.

There are a lot of things that can dry your eyes (and that sounds like what's happening to you) even if you don't have Dry Eye Syndrome. There is a tendency to reduce blinking when wearing goggles (or scuba mask in my case). Contact lenses dry eyes further. Combine the two and you may have temporary dry eyes.

My suggestion is simple: BLINK! And, perhaps, use an OTC artificially tear like Systane Ultra or Systane Balance before the flight and after.

Consciously blinking also helps dry/tired eyes for those of us that make their living staring at computer screens.