Dry eye relief in Kingsport, Tennessee

Kingsport’s air is humid most mornings, but afternoons can turn surprisingly dry, especially in spring, and winter brings furnace heat and cold wind off the ridges. For relief, manage the air indoors, take breaks from screens, wear sunglasses on breezy days, and use a lubricating eye drop as its label directs. If dryness keeps coming back, a Tri-Cities eye doctor is the one to find out why and decide what to do about it.

Humid mornings, drier afternoons in the Tri-Cities

NOAA’s humidity tables for the Tri-Cities airport, which serves Bristol, Johnson City and Kingsport, show how much the air changes in a single day. The yearly average relative humidity is about 86 percent in the early morning but only about 56 percent in the afternoon. In August the morning reading climbs to around 92 percent, which is why fog so often fills the valley along the Holston River at dawn.

The driest afternoons come in April, when NOAA’s average afternoon humidity drops to about 49 percent. Spring is also when the breeze picks up, pollen is everywhere and people start spending whole days outside again. That combination catches people off guard: the valley feels like a humid place, so dry, tired eyes on a sunny April afternoon don’t seem to fit.

Kingsport weather by NOAA’s numbers

NOAA has a long-running weather station in Kingsport itself, at about 1,280 feet. Its 1991–2020 normals give a picture of the year:

• About 45 inches of precipitation in a normal year.
• July is the wettest month, at just over 5 inches, and October the driest, at about 2.4 inches.
• January runs from a normal high of 46.4°F to a normal low of 27.3°F.
• About 83 nights a year at or below freezing.
• About 28 days a year at 90°F or hotter, and a July normal high of 87°F.
• Around 5 inches of snow a year, usually in a few light events.

Those numbers mean Kingsport homes run both heating and air conditioning for real stretches of the year. A furnace through the cold months and air conditioning through a long, hot summer both pull moisture out of indoor air, and that’s where most people spend most of their hours.

Fall, October and dry eyes

October is the driest month in the Kingsport record and also the busiest outdoor month for a lot of East Tennesseans, with leaf drives along the ridges, football Friday nights and long weekends at the lake. Dry leaves, dust from gravel roads and the first cool, breezy days add up. Sunglasses, a hat with a brim, and keeping the car vents off your face on a long scenic drive all help. If you’re out on a boat on a windy day, wraparound lenses make a big difference.

Bays Mountain and the trails above town

Bays Mountain Park describes itself as a 3,788-acre nature preserve and the largest city-owned park in Tennessee, with a 44-acre lake and 44 miles of trails. The ridge that holds it rises well above the river valley, and on a clear, breezy day the overlooks get a lot more wind than the neighborhoods below.

• Bring sunglasses even in the woods; exposed ridges and the open water of the lake get full sun.
• On a mountain-bike ride, clear glasses or goggles keep both wind and grit out of your eyes.
• At the planetarium or an indoor exhibit, the dark room and the effort of watching tend to cut blinking. Blink deliberately once the lights come up.
• Keep a bottle of drops in a bag that stays in the shade, not on a hot dashboard at the trailhead.

Plant shifts, offices and long drives

Kingsport has long been an industrial town, and plenty of residents work long shifts in large facilities, warehouses or offices with heavy ventilation. Moving air from big HVAC systems dries the eyes the same way a breeze does. Others commute across the Tri-Cities on I-26 or US-11W every day. Some workplace habits that help:

• Follow your employer’s eye protection rules first; safety glasses also cut airflow across the eyes.
• Wash your hands before you touch your eyes or use a drop, especially after handling materials at work.
• Keep vents and fans from blowing straight at your face, at a workstation or in the truck.
• Set reminders to look away from screens and gauges and blink fully. Dry eyes in a hot, dry workplace covers more.

What Quell is and how to use it

Quell is an over-the-counter lubricating eye drop, and it ships from Brentwood, Tennessee, in Middle Tennessee. The label’s Uses line reads: For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye. Its directions are Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. Quell is designed to reinforce the tear film’s oil layer to help reduce moisture loss, which is what dry afternoon air and heated rooms speed up.

Store it where the label says, Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). A truck cab in a Kingsport July or a cold garage in January can both go outside that range. The label also says Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination, and notes Caution should be used in those with egg or bird allergies — For use in the eyes only, because the formula contains emu oil.

When to see a Tri-Cities eye doctor

Eye drops ease dryness. They don’t explain it. If your eyes stay uncomfortable for days, or something feels wrong in a way that dryness doesn’t describe, see an optometrist or ophthalmologist. Working out the cause and deciding on care is their job, not a label’s. The label gives the line clearly: 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. Questions to ask your eye doctor can help you prepare for the visit.

Ordering Quell to Kingsport

Orders to Tennessee ship at $10.00, or free with 3 or more bottles. Guest checkout is available, buyers need to be 18 or older, and unopened bottles can be refunded within 30 days of delivery without being sent back. No delivery date is promised. The Kingsport page and the Tennessee page have more.