Unfortunately for them, Federal law requires them to "care about that", but it might well take a lawsuit to make them realize that. Note that a request for an injunction can be filed without ever having the object denied.

and you know me.....;)

so you have procedures in place for an etd alarm and rightly so (and i know all about them as it happened when my orthopedic shoes gave a false positive :eek:) but nothing in place for something that "passes the test"? doesn't make any sense does it? ;). no offense meant but if i followed the rules by declaring my > 3.4 ounce bottle of contact lens solution, had it tested with a negative result (i.e. no alarm) and was told that i still could not take it with me, i'd be livid and raise the bloody roof-very politely mind you :) but extremely loud so that others could hear and listen in ;)

Email from CIBA.

"Clear Care® contains hydrogen peroxide which is on the list of TSA banned solutions; however, contact lens solutions are exempt and should be allowed for carry on. Although our Clear Care travel size is TSA compliant, it is at the discretion of the individual TSA agent to allow the product to pass. Unfortunately, some airports and agents are more strict than others, and will not allow the solution to be carried on the plane."

Thank you again for contacting us and for your support of CIBA Vision products.

Sincerely,
CIBA Vision
Patient Relations

TSA by the numbers 6, 6a, 6b and 24.

In other words, those of us who are CC users must continue to roll the dice and hope that our solution will be allowed through TSA processes every time we fly. Sigh...

Or you can go to court and get an injunction that requires them to allow it.

Time for CC users to try for that injunction that another poster mentions.

Do contact lenses count as a liquid?
 

I was thinking of buying a box of 90 and taking them with me in my in-cabin luggage...but I don't want them to bin it if it is deemed as a liquid. I've not had a problem with carrying some before just in my bag, never been questioned about it, but am wondering if it being in a box might make it worse...

I don't think contact lenses count as a liquid, but aren't most of them stored in saline solution (which is definitely a liquid)?

I know I've managed to sneak them through a number of times (inadvertently - they're small enough not to get noticed), but I wouldn't push it with too many at once, unless you're in a position to easily recover and check/post them.

Yeah that's the thing...but there is such little solution in them that even in a box of 90 surely it wouldn't be anything to really bother them? I guess if they did stop me, as long as I had lots of space left in my 1l bag, maybe I could manage to squeeze them in...

90 may be a lot, but I seriously doubt you are going to have any problems. I usually have 2 or 3 pairs in each of my travelling bags as emergency replacements, and they have never flagged up.

I travel with a box of 30 daily disposables and always pack them in my carry-on; I've never had them questioned. I also bring a $.99 bottle of sample/travel size saline solution, but that has to go in the kippy sack.

Yes, you're supposed to declare them, however, they are supposed to allow them if you properly declare them. I don't wear contacts but I've declared liquid medicine such as liquid prescriptions, dental stuff, etc. before and they just glanced at the Walgreen's bag and let me move on. Supposedly they would have the right to confiscate if I didn't declare it. I thought one of the Clinton-era liquid plots, was it Bojinka (?), involved smuggling liquid explosive in contact lens solution but I guess they figured out that the plot was silly and could not have worked. I've noticed lately at my home airport there is not always a separate person, for you to "declare" your medical liquids. They don't seem to care or even desire me to hold up the line by taking out the Kippie bag or the medical stuff. Seems to be a case of who's working that day. In any event, can't imagine a reasonable person seizing your contacts.

Medicinal liquids are exempt from the 3 oz rule, in the United States.

I wear non-disposible contacts and travel with a 4.5 oz bottle of contact lens solution. I show it to the TSA screeners before my stuff enters the Xray machine, and they always let it through.

From http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtrav...eds/index.shtm

"All prescription and over-the-counter medications (liquids, gels, and aerosols) including petroleum jelly, eye drops, and saline solution for medical purposes;"

Having said that...

The regs in Europe are different. When I went through LHR security screening last year, I declared my 4.5 oz bottle of contact lens solution and my prescription bottle of antiseptic mouthwash to the screener. Both had passed the TSA screen in LAX. The mouthwash pharmacy label with my prescription was affixed to the mouthwash bottle. (Tooth extraction)

The British screener told me that the prescription mouthwash would pass, but the over-the-counter contact lens solution was prohibited. He actually let me keep the contact lens solution, but told me that he was making an exception for me. He also pointed me to a Boots shop in the LHR T5 waiting area where I could buy airline-compliant contact lens solution. I did go there and buy some so I could continue traveling through Europe with screener-passing contact lens solution, and switched my 4.5 oz bottle to checked luggage at my earliest opportunity.

My suggestion to you would be to be sure your prescription is affixed to the box of contact lenses. I have no experience with taking large amounts of contact lenses through screening checkpoints as my contacts are not disposable. I only have one or two pairs at a time.

Please follow this thread in the TS/S Forum.
Thanks..
Obscure2k
TravelBuzz Moderator

I've carried 60 disposible contacts (2 boxes of 30 each) in sealed boxes. I've declared them and not declared them to the screener, and had no issue to date.