Dry eye relief in Idaho Falls, Idaho

Idaho Falls sits on the high desert of the upper Snake River Plain, where the air is thin, dry for most of the year and often windy. Eyes feel dry and itchy in the low-humidity summer afternoons and again in winter, when furnaces run for months. Relief means protecting eyes from sun and wind, adding indoor moisture, blinking fully at screens and using a lubricating drop as labeled. Persistent symptoms belong with an eye doctor.

How dry Idaho Falls really is

NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the Idaho Falls airport at Fanning Field put the station about 1,441 meters, or roughly 4,730 feet, above sea level, and describe a climate that’s dry in every season:

• Just 10.07 inches of precipitation in a normal year.
• July, the hottest month, averages only 0.46 inch, with a normal high of 86.6°F.
• July nights fall to a normal low of 49.3°F, a daily swing of more than 37 degrees.
• January’s normal high is 28.7°F and its normal low is 12.1°F.
• About 182 nights a year at or below freezing, and close to 15 at zero or colder.
• Around 56 days a year when the high stays at or below 32°F.

NOAA’s comparative humidity table doesn’t list Idaho Falls, but Pocatello, the nearest Idaho city it does list, averages an afternoon relative humidity of 23 percent in July and 22 percent in August. Air that dry pulls water from the surface of your eyes from sunrise to sunset, which is why itchy, scratchy eyes are so common here in summer even for people who never noticed them elsewhere.

What to do for itchy eyes in Idaho Falls

Itching that comes with dry, windy days is often the eye’s surface reacting to dryness and the dust that rides along with the wind. Rubbing feels good for a moment but makes things worse. Instead:

• Rinse your face with cool water after time outdoors, eyes closed.
• Hold a clean, cool, damp washcloth over closed lids for a few minutes.
• Wash your hands before touching your eyes or the bottle.
• Change pillowcases more often in dusty or windy stretches.
• See an eye doctor if itching comes with discharge, swelling, pain or vision changes.

Altitude, sun and the Snake River

The city grew up around the river, and Visit Idaho, the state tourism site, describes the falls as about 600 feet wide across the Snake, with the greenbelt running along both banks. Walking or biking the greenbelt is one of the easiest ways to get outside here, and it also puts you in direct sun with water reflecting light back up at you. At more than 4,700 feet, there’s less atmosphere overhead to soften that sunlight.

• Wear sunglasses with UV protection, even on cool spring days.
• Pick wraparound frames for biking, where your speed adds to the wind.
• Bring water; general dehydration on hot, dry days doesn’t help your eyes.

For more on why thin, dry air matters, see dry air, wind and altitude.

Winter in eastern Idaho

NOAA counts about 7,792 heating degree days a year at Fanning Field, a heating season that starts in fall and runs deep into spring. Heated air that began at 12°F holds very little water, so homes and offices get very dry. Many people here also work long hours indoors at screens, whether at a desk in town or out at the Idaho National Laboratory site. Indoors, a clean humidifier in the bedroom, monitor placement slightly below eye level and regular blink breaks make a difference. Outdoors, ski goggles at Kelly Canyon or on a snowmobile trail block wind that would otherwise go straight across your eyes.

Using Quell in a high-desert climate

Quell’s Uses are 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 the problem dry desert air creates. The directions are Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye; the label doesn’t ask for more drops because the air is drier. The active ingredients are Glycerol (1.0%), Polysorbate 80 (1.0%) and Light Mineral Oil (0.5%), and the full Drug Facts include a caution for anyone with egg or bird allergies.

Idaho Falls is hard on storage at both ends of the year. The label says Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). A truck in a July parking lot climbs above that range, and a January night drops far below it, so carry the bottle with you rather than leaving it in the vehicle.

Getting Quell in Idaho Falls

Quell ships from Brentwood, Tennessee, to Idaho addresses. It’s $10.00 per order, or free with 3 bottles, with guest checkout and no promised delivery date. Unopened bottles can be refunded within 30 days of delivery without sending them back. The Idaho Falls page and the Idaho page have the details.

When to call an eye doctor

Dryness that follows the wind and the furnace is expected here. Eyes that stay irritated after a calm, cool week, eye pain, or any change in your vision call for an optometrist or ophthalmologist. The label says: 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.