Dry eyes for auto mechanics

Auto mechanics get dry eyes from shop air: big fans in summer, gas or electric heaters in winter, open bay doors letting in wind, and long stretches looking up under a vehicle on a lift. Wear safety glasses, keep fans and heaters off your face, and use a lubricating drop as labeled for everyday dryness. Flying debris or a chemical splash is an emergency for flushing and a doctor, not an eye drop.

Why shop air dries your eyes

A repair shop is a big, open space that’s hard to keep comfortable. In summer, high-velocity floor fans move air across the bays so techs can work. In winter, overhead or portable heaters warm the air near where you stand, and bay doors open and close from morning to closing time. Moving air and warmed air both speed up evaporation from the tear film, the thin layer of oil, water and mucus that keeps the eye’s surface moist.

Add close, focused work, such as reading a scan tool screen, tracing a wire or lining up a bolt you can barely see, and you blink less. Fewer blinks mean tears get spread less often.

Shop fans and heaters

• Aim floor fans at your body or legs, not your face, and avoid standing right in their path.
• Keep portable heaters pointed at your feet or the work area, and never stand facing one for long.
• Overhead heaters warm the air near your head; if you can, work a little to the side of them.
• When the bay door opens on a windy day, turn away for a moment rather than staring into the gust.

Looking up under vehicles

Working under a car on a lift means rust flakes, dirt, undercoating and dripping fluids can fall straight toward your eyes. It also means holding your head back and staring up for long periods, which can make you blink less. This is where eye protection matters most.

• Wear safety glasses or goggles every time you go under a vehicle, even for a quick look.
• Goggles with a seal give more protection against falling dust and drips than open glasses.
• Use a light that doesn’t shine directly into your eyes.
• Take a break to look at something at eye level and blink fully every so often.

Mechanic eye protection and what OSHA says

OSHA’s eye and face protection standard, 29 CFR 1910.133, says employers must ensure each affected employee uses appropriate eye or face protection when exposed to hazards such as flying particles or liquid chemicals. Grinding, cutting, using air tools, and handling batteries, brake cleaner or coolant all fall into that territory. Wear the protection your shop provides, and if it fogs or doesn’t fit, ask for something that works so you actually keep it on.

Debris or a chemical splash is an emergency

A lubricating drop is for ordinary dryness and irritation. It’s not for something stuck in your eye or a chemical that splashed into it. OSHA’s first-aid standard calls for facilities for quick flushing of the eyes where workers may be exposed to corrosive materials, and battery acid is one. If it happens:

• Get to the eyewash station and flush right away, following your shop’s procedure.
• Don’t rub the eye.
• Don’t try to remove metal or anything embedded yourself.
• Get medical care immediately, and bring the product name or safety data sheet if a chemical was involved.

Using drops in the shop

Shop hands are rarely clean. Before using any eye drop, wash with soap and water to remove grease and solvent, and dry your hands on a clean towel, not a shop rag. Then follow the label: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. The label’s handling line reads: Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination. A workbench, toolbox lid or creeper all count.

Quell is designed to reinforce the tear film’s oil layer to help reduce moisture loss. Its Uses read: For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye. Before ordering, read the caution: Caution should be used in those with egg or bird allergies — For use in the eyes only. The full label is on our Drug Facts page. If you use other eye drops or wear contact lenses, the label doesn’t cover combining them; ask your eye doctor or pharmacist.

Where to keep a bottle at work

The label’s storage line reads: Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). A toolbox drawer next to a heater or in a bay that bakes in July can run outside that range, as can a truck cab in January. A locker or a break room shelf at room temperature is a better spot. Keep the bottle in a clean zip bag so it doesn’t pick up grease. For more on hot vehicles, see can you leave eye drops in a hot car?.

Habits that help over a full shift

• Start the day with safety glasses on and keep them on, including for quick jobs.
• Drink water through the shift; shops get hot, and staying hydrated is basic comfort.
• Look up from a scan tool or laptop every few minutes and blink.
• Rinse dust off your face at breaks with clean water, eyes closed.
• At home, keep fans and heating vents off your face while you sleep.

Woodshops have similar issues with dust; dry eyes for woodworkers covers those. Outdoor crews will find more in dry eyes for outdoor workers.

When to see a doctor

If your eyes stay dry and irritated after you’ve changed the airflow around you and kept protection on, or if anything hurts, the label is clear: 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. Any eye injury at work should be seen right away.