Dry eyes at an outdoor winter game

A cold-weather football game is hard on your eyes: hours of wind swirling through an open bowl, smoke from tailgate grills, the dry blast of propane heaters, and long stretches of staring at the field without blinking much. Wraparound sunglasses, sitting out of the heater’s direct path, blinking during breaks in play and keeping eye drops in an inside pocket all help you get through four quarters.

Why your eyes feel it at a winter game

Cold air holds little moisture, and wind moving across your face carries tears away faster than still air. Open stadiums funnel wind through the gaps between stands, and upper rows catch more of it than seats near the field. Add the way people watch a close game, staring at one spot through a whole drive, and you have the setup for tired, scratchy eyes by halftime.

Watering eyes are part of the same picture. Cold wind can make your eyes stream, then they feel dry later once you’re in the warm car. Dry eyes from cold air explains the back-and-forth.

Tailgating: grills, fire pits and heaters

The parking lot before kickoff is often harder on your eyes than the game itself:

• Charcoal grills and smokers send smoke straight across the lot whenever the wind shifts. Stand upwind, and step away when someone opens the lid.
• Fire pits throw both smoke and dry heat. Sit to the side rather than directly facing the flames.
• Propane patio heaters blow hot, dry air downward. Stand at the edge of the warm circle, not right under the head.
• Generators and vehicle exhaust add fumes; keep your setup clear of running engines.

Many of the same rules apply at home around a fireplace, which fireplaces, candles and dry eyes covers.

In the stands

• Wear sunglasses for day games, ideally wraparound frames, which block wind from the sides as well as glare from low winter sun.
• For night games, clear or lightly tinted wraparound glasses still cut the wind.
• Pull a scarf or neck gaiter up over your nose and cheeks so you’re not turning away from gusts with your eyes half closed.
• If your section has seat heaters or blowers, angle yourself so hot air isn’t aimed at your face.
• Use timeouts, TV breaks and halftime to look away from the field, blink fully a few times and give your eyes a rest.
• Drink water, not just coffee or beer. Cold weather is dehydrating, and so is a long day outdoors.

Carry eye drops in an inside pocket

Quell’s storage line reads Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). A bottle left in a cooler, a truck bed or an outer coat pocket during a freezing game can fall below that range, and so can one in the car if you leave it parked for hours. An inside jacket pocket, close to your body, keeps it much closer to room temperature. Before using a bottle that did get cold, let it come back to room temperature and check it; the label’s “do not use” line reads If this product changes color.

Using a drop at the stadium

The directions are Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye, so plan one around the game instead of reaching for the bottle every time a gust hits. A few habits make it easier in a crowd:

• Use a drop before you leave the car or the tailgate, while your hands are clean and warm.
• If you need one during the game, go to a restroom or concourse, wash your hands with soap and water, and use a mirror.
• Take your gloves off first; trying to squeeze a bottle in thick gloves is how tips get touched. The label says Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination.
• Hold the bottle upright and capped between uses, and keep the cap clean in a pocket, not on a dirty tray.

Glove-covered or cold, stiff fingers are the most common reason people miss the eye or touch the tip. Why you should never touch the bottle tip explains why it matters.

Stadium bag policies vary

Many stadiums limit what you can bring in, often requiring clear bags of a certain size and setting their own rules on medicines and liquids. There isn’t one standard. Check the venue’s website or the ticket app before you go, look for what it says about medication, and keep the bottle in its carton if you think staff may want to see the label. Small items in a coat pocket are usually easier than a bag, but follow what the venue says, not what was allowed somewhere else.

Contact lenses, kids and other drops

The label doesn’t give directions for use with contact lenses, for children, or alongside other eye drops. If you wear contacts to games or you’re thinking of bringing a bottle for a child, ask your eye doctor or a pharmacist first rather than improvising in the stands.

After the game

The ride home brings its own dry air. Point the car’s heater vents at your chest or the windshield, not your face, and don’t put drops in while you’re driving. If your eyes still feel irritated the following morning, or anything flew into them during the game, don’t wait it out. 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.

Heading out for a road game or a bowl trip? Thanksgiving travel with eye drops covers packing and carry-on rules, and you can order Quell here with guest checkout, shipped from Brentwood, Tennessee, to US addresses.