Christmas gifts for a photographer with dry eyes

A good Christmas gift for a photographer with dry eyes supports the work behind the camera: lubricating drops for long editing nights and cold shoots, a lens-safe cleaning kit, a warm hat with a brim, and a desk humidifier. Before you buy any eye drop, read its label for allergy cautions. Quell’s says: Caution should be used in those with egg or bird allergies — For use in the eyes only. Order early, since we don’t promise arrival by a date.

Check the caution before anything else

Eye drops are a personal item, and a gift drop has to suit the person who uses it. Quell’s label carries this caution: Caution should be used in those with egg or bird allergies — For use in the eyes only. If your photographer has an egg or bird allergy, or you don’t know, skip the drops and pick something else from this list. The full panel is on the Drug Facts page if you want to read every line before you order.

It’s also fair to ask. “Do your eyes get dry when you edit?” is an easy question to slip into conversation in early December.

Why photographers’ eyes dry out

A photographer’s day has a few habits built in that strain the tear film:

• Staring through a viewfinder. One eye is pressed to the eyecup, the other is often half-closed, and blinking slows while they wait for the moment.
• Editing on a bright monitor for hours. People blink less while concentrating on a screen, and partial blinks leave part of the eye exposed.
• Shooting outdoors in winter. Cold wind and dry air speed evaporation from the eye’s surface.
• Long days at events. Weddings and holiday parties keep them on their feet in heated rooms for eight or ten hours.

Our guide on dry eyes for photographers covers the workday side in more detail, if you want to understand the problem before you shop.

Gift ideas for the camera bag

• A bottle or two of lubricating drops, once you’ve checked the allergy caution. Quell is .33 fl oz (10 mL), small enough for a side pocket of a camera bag.
• A lens cleaning kit with a blower and microfiber cloths. Keeping grit off the viewfinder eyepiece also keeps it away from the eye pressed against it.
• A replacement eyecup for their camera body. Old eyecups get stiff and let wind and light leak in.
• Fingerless or touchscreen gloves for winter shoots, so they spend less time with bare, cold hands and are less tempted to rub their eyes with them.
• A brimmed hat or a beanie with a short visor. Shade cuts glare and squinting outdoors.
• A pair of wraparound sunglasses for scouting locations on windy, bright days.

Gifts for the editing desk

Editing is where many photographers notice dryness most, usually late at night after a shoot. A few ideas for the desk:

• A small desk humidifier for the home office, especially during furnace season.
• A monitor light bar that lights the desk without shining toward their eyes.
• A simple timer or a smart speaker routine that reminds them to look up from the screen every twenty minutes.
• A comfortable desk lamp with a warm setting, so they aren’t editing in a dark room lit only by the monitor.

None of these replace good habits, but they make the habits easier.

If you give eye drops, how they’re meant to be used

Quell is an over-the-counter lubricating eye drop. Its Uses line reads: For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye. It’s designed to reinforce the tear film’s oil layer to help reduce moisture loss, which is useful for someone who spends winter afternoons in the wind and evenings at a screen. The directions on the label read: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. Mention the handling line too, because camera bags are not clean places: Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination.

One practical note for the gift card: the storage line reads Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). A camera bag left in the car during a January shoot or a July wedding can go outside that range, so the bottle belongs in a jacket pocket or a bag that comes inside.

Ordering in time for Christmas

Quell ships from Brentwood, Tennessee, to US addresses only. We don’t promise a delivery date, so the honest advice is to order early in December and not count on a last-minute arrival. You’ll get an email with tracking when it ships. Checkout doesn’t offer gift wrap or a gift message, so if you send it straight to the photographer, it arrives as a plain order with your name on it. Many givers ship to themselves and wrap it at home.

Shipping is $10.00, and orders of 3 or more bottles ship free. If they already have drops they like, an unopened bottle can be refunded within 30 days of delivery without being sent back. You can order from the home page, and our gift guides have more ideas for the season.

A gift isn’t a substitute for an eye exam

If your photographer mentions eye pain, blurry vision that doesn’t clear, or dryness that never lets up, the better gift is encouragement to see an eye doctor. The label is direct about when to stop using a lubricating drop: Stop use and ask a doctor if you feel eye pain or changes in your vision, if irritation or redness continues, or if the condition worsens or persists for 72 hours.