Oxygen Helps Your Eyesight – A Pilot Explains How
Oxygen deficiency can have negative effects on your eyesight, which is important at night when you are dealing with glare, oncoming headlights, poorly lit roads and weather conditions. It’s especially important for airline pilots, who need to have good vision while flying for many safety reasons. The rods inside the retina (which process how you see light) are very sensitive to oxygen. With less oxygen, your eyes struggle to process light. In fact, the FAA (Federation Aviation Administration) guidelines on pilot safety from hypoxia include “using supplemental oxygen at night, because vision is particularly sensitive to diminished oxygen, a prudent rule is to use supplemental oxygen when flying above 6,000 feet”.