Dry eye relief in Richmond, Virginia

Dry eye relief in Richmond means planning for two seasons that work against you: breezy spring afternoons, when NOAA’s records show the city’s lowest humidity, and the long stretch of air conditioning and then furnace heat that follows. Keep vents off your face, take blink breaks at screens, wear sunglasses on windy days and use a lubricating drop as its label directs. See an eye doctor for pain or vision changes.

Is Richmond humid or dry?

Both, depending on the month and the hour. Richmond International Airport, the official weather station for the city, gets about 45.5 inches of precipitation in a normal year according to NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 climate normals, and August is the wettest month at 4.90 inches. The station sits only about 164 feet above sea level, and the air off the coastal plain carries plenty of moisture through summer.

NOAA’s relative humidity table shows how much the day changes that picture. Morning readings in September and October average 88 percent, which is the dew-soaked lawn and foggy commute many Richmonders know. Afternoons tell a different story:

• April afternoons average 46 percent, the lowest of any month.
• March follows at 48 percent.
• October drops to 53 percent in the afternoon after an 88 percent morning.
• Even August, the muggiest month on paper, averages 57 percent by afternoon.

So a day that starts damp can end dry, and that afternoon drop is when many people notice gritty or scratchy eyes.

Why spring is hard on Richmond eyes

March and April combine the city’s lowest afternoon humidity with its breeziest weather. NOAA’s wind table for Richmond peaks in March, and August is the calmest month. Moving air across the eye speeds the evaporation of the tear film, the thin layer of oil, water and mucus that keeps the surface comfortable, so a windy spring walk along the Canal Walk or out to Belle Isle can leave eyes stinging.

• Wraparound sunglasses block side wind as well as glare off the James.
• Spring yard work goes easier in the morning, when humidity runs above 70 percent.
• With the windows open on a breezy day, sit out of the cross-draft.
• If you bike the Virginia Capital Trail, clear or tinted cycling glasses help on the long open stretches.

Summer: 45 days at 90 degrees, and the air conditioning

A normal Richmond July runs from about 69°F at dawn to 89.5°F in the afternoon, and the airport averages close to 45 days a year at 90°F or above. Outdoors, that heat comes with humidity. The dryness most people feel in summer is indoors: air conditioning pulls moisture out of the air as it cools it, and offices, cars and stores run it hard from late May into September.

A few habits that help in July and August:

• Point dashboard vents at your chest or the floor, never straight at your eyes.
• Move a desk out of the stream from a ceiling diffuser if you can.
• Look away from your screen every so often and blink fully, since concentration slows blinking.
• Bring sunglasses for a day tubing or rafting on the James, where glare off the water adds up.

Winter heat in a mild-winter city

Richmond winters are short by northern standards. January’s normal high is 47.8°F and the station records about 8.8 inches of snow a year. Still, it logs roughly 73 nights at or below freezing, enough that furnaces and heat pumps run through most of December, January and February. Warmed indoor air holds the same water it had outside but at a lower relative humidity, so a cozy living room can feel dry on the eyes.

A small humidifier in the bedroom, closed registers near your favorite chair and a little distance from a space heater all make a difference. Our guide to winter heating and dry eyes goes through it room by room.

Using Quell in Richmond

Quell is a preservative-free lubricating drop designed to reinforce the tear film’s oil layer to help reduce moisture loss. That’s the layer a breezy April afternoon and an air-conditioned office both work on. Its label lists the Uses as: For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye. Directions: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. And before the first drop, read the caution: Caution should be used in those with egg or bird allergies — For use in the eyes only.

The label’s storage line reads: Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). A car parked in the sun at Short Pump in July can get far hotter than that, so keep the bottle in a bag that comes inside with you. The full panel is on our Drug Facts page.

Ordering to Richmond

Orders ship from Brentwood, Tennessee, to addresses across the United States, including Richmond, Henrico, Chesterfield and the Fan. Checkout works as a guest with no account needed, shipping is $10.00 per order, and 3 or more bottles ship free. You’ll get a tracking email when the package leaves, though no delivery date is promised, so reorder before the bottle runs low. Unopened bottles can be refunded within 30 days of delivery without sending them back. The Richmond page and the Virginia page have the local details.

When to see an eye doctor in Richmond

A drop is for everyday dryness and irritation, not for working out why your eyes keep bothering you. The label sets 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. Pain, blurred vision that doesn’t clear with blinking, or one eye much worse than the other all call for an appointment. The dry eye self-check can help you describe what you’re feeling before you go; it’s not a diagnosis.