Volcanic Dust and Contact Lenses
Volcanoes – You Do Not Need To See Them To Be Affected
The recent eruption of the Eyjafjallajokull Volcano in Iceland has shot a nearly invisible cloud of volcanic dust and ash high into the sky that is now settling across Europe. Previous eruptions of Icelandic volcanoes have deposited ash and even emitted clouds of poisonous gas that covered much of Europe in a sickening fog. This fog extended from the UK to Berlin and even Prague in the Czech Republic.
Hopefully, this volcanic event will not be as severe, but it is not yet over and each previous eruption of Eyjafjallajokull was a precursor to a much larger eruption by its immediate neighbor, “Katla”.
Harmful Particles to Wearers of Contact Lenses
These small particles of glass and crystalline ash can irritate the eyes, and are especially bothersome to those who wear contact lenses. Your eyes may become itchy, especially if you spend much time outdoors during the period when the ash cloud is reported to be in your location.
If you wear contact lenses and find that this invisible ash cloud is causing you discomfort, do not rub your eyes! It might even be best to return to the wearing of eyeglasses as a precautionary measure until this cloud disperses or is washed away by precipitation. More time should be spent on eyecare during this time – be sure to stock up on saline solution!
Wearers of contact lenses might consider switching to eyeglasses if the ash cloud is causing them discomfort. They must avoid rubbing their eyes as this can scratch their iris.
Britain’s Health Protection Agency (HPA) said that people should consider moving inside if they noticed a change in the air quality.
“If people are outside and notice symptoms such as itchy or irritated eyes, runny nose, sore throat or dry cough, or if they notice a dusty haze in the air or can smell sulphur, rotten eggs, or a strong acidic smell, they may wish to limit their activities outdoors or return indoors,” he said.
By the weekend, tiny particles of dust from the poisonous plume began raining down on the Shetland Islands and northern Scotland and were discovered as far south as Sheffield later in the day – this dust continues to spread slowly across Europe.
In Cleveland on the north east coast of the United Kingdom, reports are coming in of people finding an unusual dusting of ash on their cars.
Volcanic Ash - You don't want this in your eyes!
An Invisible Cloud
Just because you cannot see this cloud of harmful particles, does not mean it is not there. The only thing you will likely see are colorful sunsets – nothing else.
In 1982, a British Airways 747 was flying over Indonesia when the pilot and first officer noticed sparks flying off the leading edges of the aircraft control surfaces. These sparks were caused by static electrification produced by invisible volcanic dust particles. They did not see that they had flown into a cloud, and it was not detectable by radar or any of the on-board flight instruments.
All four engines of the Boeing 747 went out and stayed out for a hair raising 14 minutes, while Captain Eric Moody put the aircraft into a steep dive. The dive seemed to work as it flushed the dust out of the engines and they were able to relight them and land the plane safely. This was the first such incident in aviation history, “They copied what we did and published it in every pilot’s manual in the world,” Mr Moody told The Times of London. Pilots are now trained to look for signs, including the odor of sulphur in the cabin and electrification on the leading edges of the wings from sandblasting by dust particles.
As this flight was a night flight, nobody saw a thing. There were fumes and a smell of sulphur in the cabin and the passengers had a fine view of fire as unburnt fuel ignited behind the stopped engines. Only when they were back on the ground did the crew hear that nearby Mount Galunggung had erupted several days earlier and that its ash had choked their engines at 37,000 feet (11,280m).
Flight 9 had difficulty landing because the pilots could see almost nothing through the opaque windshield which was sandblasted by the volcanic dust.
Aquify is an eye drop solution that lubricates and freshens up your eyes. Aquify consists of natural products and contains no perservatives so it is recommended for extra-senstive eyes. Aquify contains hyaluronic acid that resembles natural tear fluid and moistens the eye without sticking.
Contact lenses are safer and of higher quality than ever before. New space-age materials allow oxygen to actually penetrate the lens preventing eye infections. 