Dry eye relief in Weatherford, Texas

Weatherford’s hardest stretch for dry eyes is the long summer. NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals for the city’s weather station average 89.6 days a year at 90°F or hotter, and afternoon humidity at nearby Dallas falls below 50 percent in July and August. Arena dust and wind add to it. Quell is a lubricating eye drop that ships to Parker County; lasting dryness is a matter for an eye doctor.

What NOAA’s Weatherford station shows

NOAA’s National Centers for Environmental Information keeps 30-year normals for a cooperative weather station in Weatherford itself, so these aren’t Fort Worth’s numbers with a new name on them:

• July and August share the hottest normal highs, 94.6°F and 94.7°F.
• The city averages 89.6 days a year at 90°F or above, and 13.1 days at 100°F or above.
• Precipitation totals 35.18 inches a year. May is the wettest month at 4.42 inches; July is the driest at 1.86.
• January’s normal high is 56.2°F and its normal low 31.8°F.
• About 60.8 nights a year fall to 32°F or below, so winter heating matters here too.

Dry summer afternoons

NOAA’s humidity table has no Weatherford row; Dallas, the closest station it lists, is the stand-in. Afternoon humidity there averages 49 percent in July and 48 percent in August, the lowest of the year, even though mornings start out above 75 percent. Heat and low afternoon humidity together speed evaporation from the eye, and that’s before the air conditioning, which dries indoor air further. People who move between a hot barn and a cold truck cab all afternoon get both extremes.

Cutting horse country: arenas, barns and dust

The city’s own history page calls Weatherford the Cutting Horse Capital of the World, and anyone who spends time in a show pen or practice arena knows the dust that comes with it. Fine arena footing hangs in the air on a dry day and settles on everything, including your hands and the bottle in your pocket.

• Wear wraparound sunglasses or safety glasses while riding, working cattle or dragging the arena.
• Keep a pack of hand wipes in the truck so you can clean up before touching your eyes.
• Cap the bottle the moment you’re done. Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination.
• Use drops after you’ve left the arena and washed up, not with dust still on your face.

Wind on the Cross Timbers and Lake Weatherford

West of Fort Worth the land opens into rolling ranch country, and wind moves across it freely, especially on spring afternoons ahead of storms. A day of fishing on Lake Weatherford puts you in sun and glare off the water as well as wind. A hat with a brim, polarized sunglasses and a shaded cooler for the bottle keep the day comfortable. Dry air, wind and altitude explains how moving air pulls moisture from the eye.

Can you leave eye drops in a truck in a Texas summer?

No. Quell’s label gives the range: Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). With normal highs near 95°F in July and August, a cab parked in the sun outside the feed store or the Peach Festival runs much hotter than that. Carry the bottle into the house, the office or the barn’s tack room, wherever stays cooler. Can you leave eye drops in a hot car? has the details.

Where Quell fits in a Weatherford day

The tear film’s oil layer sits on top and slows evaporation of the water underneath. Quell is designed to reinforce the tear film’s oil layer to help reduce moisture loss, and its directions are the same summer or winter: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. A rancher might use one at first light before chores, one at midday out of the heat and one at supper. A commuter on I-20 to Fort Worth might pick the start of the drive, lunch and the evening instead.

Before each use, glance at the solution. The eye drops have a naturally milky-brown appearance. This is normal and does not indicate a problem with the product. If the color has changed, the label says not to use it: If this product changes color.

Ordering to Weatherford and Parker County

Quell ships from Brentwood, Tennessee, to addresses across the US, including ranches with rural routes, homes near the courthouse square and offices in town. Shipping is $10.00, and orders reaching $89.00, which is 3 bottles, ship free. No delivery date is promised, so reorder before the last bottle runs low. The Weatherford page and the Texas page have more on ordering from the area.

When to see an eye doctor

Dust and heat explain plenty, but if dryness lasts into the cooler months, gets steadily worse or comes with any change in how you see, an optometrist or ophthalmologist should take a look. Finding the cause and deciding what to do belongs to them. Quell’s 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.