Dry eye relief in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Dry eye relief in Philadelphia means handling raw winter wind outside and dry heat inside. NOAA’s records for the airport show a windy March, about 13 days a year that never get above freezing, and the city’s lowest humidity on April afternoons. Turn your face from the wind, keep heaters and car vents pointed elsewhere, blink often during screen work and use a lubricating drop as directed. Pain or vision changes call for an eye doctor.

Philadelphia weather by the numbers

Philadelphia International Airport, on the Delaware River in the southwest corner of the city, is the official station. Its 1991 to 2020 normals from NOAA:

• About 44.1 inches of precipitation a year; September and July are the wettest months and February the driest, at 2.75 inches.
• About 23.1 inches of snow in a normal winter, with February leading at 8.4 inches and January at 7.1.
• A January that runs from 26°F at night to 41.3°F in the afternoon.
• About 77 nights at or below freezing and 13 days when the high stays at 32°F or lower.
• About 30 days a year at 90°F or above, and a July normal high of 87.8°F.

The windiest month is March

NOAA’s wind table for the Philadelphia airport shows a clear seasonal swing: March is the windiest month and August the calmest. The airport also averages more wind than Central Park does in New York, partly because it sits on flat, open ground beside the river.

In the city that means gusts down Broad Street, a stiff breeze on the Ben Franklin Bridge walkway and a cold headwind on the Schuylkill River Trail past Boathouse Row. Moving air pulls water out of the tear film, and cold wind makes the eyes sting and then water. A few things help:

• Wraparound sunglasses or clear safety-style glasses on runs and rides along Kelly Drive.
• A hat with a brim to break wind coming over your head.
• At a SEPTA stop, stand so the wind hits your back rather than your face.
• Waiting on an elevated platform on the Market-Frankford Line in January, look away when a train sweeps in.

Why do my eyes burn in the winter in Philly?

Much of the city’s housing is rowhomes, and plenty of them have older heating: radiators, baseboard heat, or forced air through floor registers. All of it warms the air without adding moisture. NOAA records January afternoons at the airport at 58 percent humidity outdoors, but a heated room can feel far drier than that, and many people notice burning or gritty eyes by evening.

A humidifier in the bedroom, a few feet of distance from radiators, and a short break from the screen every so often all help. If you sleep with the heat blowing, close the bedroom register partway. Our guide to winter heating and dry eyes covers the rest of the house.

Game days and parades in the cold

Philadelphia does a lot outdoors in winter. An Eagles game in December at the stadium complex in South Philly, the Mummers Parade on New Year’s Day, or an afternoon at an outdoor holiday market all mean hours in cold air, often with wind off the river. Staring at the field or a phone also cuts down on blinking. Wear sunglasses even on gray days to break the wind, and blink on purpose during timeouts.

Spring and summer

April afternoons are Philadelphia’s driest of the year at 48 percent in NOAA’s table, with March at 51. Summer brings the opposite outside, sticky air and September mornings near 82 percent, but offices, trains and stores run cold, dry air conditioning. If you sit under a vent at work, ask to move or redirect it. Commuters on Regional Rail can sit away from overhead vents on long trips.

How Quell fits in

Quell is a preservative-free lubricating drop designed to reinforce the tear film’s oil layer to help reduce moisture loss. According to its Drug Facts label, it’s For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye. The directions are: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. The handling line: Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination. Before ordering, check the caution: Caution should be used in those with egg or bird allergies — For use in the eyes only.

The storage line on the label reads: Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). A bottle left in the car through a January night, or on a sunny dashboard in July, can go outside that range. The whole panel is on the Drug Facts page.

Shipping Quell to Philadelphia

Orders go out from Brentwood, Tennessee, to Philadelphia neighborhoods from Fishtown to Germantown, the Main Line, and the rest of Pennsylvania. There’s no account to make, shipping runs $10.00 per order, and 3 or more bottles ship free. You’ll get tracking by email, though no delivery date is promised. If packages tend to vanish from your stoop, ship to a workplace or someone who’s home. The Philadelphia page and the Pennsylvania page have more.

Know when to see a doctor

Eye drops cover everyday dryness, but not every dry or irritated eye is a simple case. The label tells you when to stop: 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. A sudden change in vision, real pain or an injury needs prompt care. The self-check can help you organize your symptoms before an appointment; it’s not a diagnosis.