Dry eyes for snowplow drivers

Snowplow drivers get dry eyes from a rough combination: long night shifts, a cab heater and defroster pushing hot, dry air, glare from headlights and fresh snow, and cold wind every time they step out. Aim vents at the windshield and feet, blink deliberately on long straight runs, and keep a lubricating drop in an inside pocket. Use it only when parked, as its label directs.

Why the plow cab is so hard on eyes

Plow shifts during a storm often run long, and much of the work happens in the dark. Inside the cab, the heater and defroster run constantly to keep the glass clear, and heated winter air holds very little moisture. Outside, wind drives snow across the road and every stop to check a spreader, clear a blade or help a stuck driver puts cold air straight into your face.

Then there’s concentration. Plowing means watching the road edge, mailboxes, parked cars, the wing blade and mirrors at the same time. People blink less when they focus hard, and the eye’s surface dries between blinks. By the second half of a shift, eyes can feel gritty, burning or heavy.

Glare, lights and the long night shift

Light makes plowing harder on the eyes in several ways:

• Fresh snow reflects headlights and streetlights back at you, so you squint, and squinting replaces full blinks with partial ones.
• Amber strobes and warning lights flash at the edge of your vision for hours.
• Oncoming headlights on a dark rural road force your eyes to adjust again and again.
• At dawn, low sun on a snowfield can be blinding. Keep sunglasses in the cab for the end of the shift.

A tired driver also blinks differently. Our guide to dry eyes on the night shift covers how short sleep and night work affect eyes, and dry eyes from lack of sleep goes deeper on rest.

Setting up the cab

• Point the defroster at the glass and the heater at your feet and chest, never straight at your face.
• Close the dash vent nearest you if it can’t be angled away.
• Keep the cab a few degrees cooler if you can stay comfortable in your layers. Less heat means slightly less dry air.
• Clean the inside of the windshield before the season. A hazy film adds glare at night.
• On long straight stretches, blink deliberately a few times, letting the lids close fully.

More ideas for winter driving in general are in dry eyes when driving in winter.

Keeping eye drops in a cold cab

Plow trucks sit in cold yards and sheds between storms, and a cab can drop far below freezing once the engine shuts off. Quell’s storage line reads: Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). A bottle left in the door pocket or glove box between shifts can easily fall outside that range.

• Carry the bottle in an inside jacket or shirt pocket during the shift, where it stays near body warmth.
• Take it home or into the break room at the end of the shift rather than leaving it in the truck.
• If a bottle froze or sat in a frozen truck, look at it before using it. Our guide on whether eye drops can freeze in a cold car explains what to check.
• Keep a spare at home, not in the truck, so a forgotten bottle isn’t your only one.

Quell normally looks like this: Product appears as a milky brown solution. The label’s “Do not use” line reads: If this product changes color.

Gloves, road salt and the bottle tip

Plow work leaves hands covered in road salt, grease, diesel and grit. Before using a drop, take your gloves off and clean your hands, with soap and water at the shop or hand sanitizer in the cab, letting it dry completely. The label’s handling line matters even more here: Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination. A tip that touches a glove, a steering wheel or your fingers can pick up exactly the kind of grime you don’t want in your eye.

Using a drop safely on a route

Never put in eye drops while the truck is moving. Wait until you’re stopped somewhere legal and out of traffic, like the yard, a salt shed or a safe pull-off, with the parking brake set. Vision can blur briefly after a drop, so give it a moment before you drive. The directions are short: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. The label’s Uses line reads: For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye.

Read the caution before your first bottle: Caution should be used in those with egg or bird allergies — For use in the eyes only. If you drive under a commercial license or for a public works department, any questions about medicines and your medical card or employer policy are for your medical examiner or supervisor. Our guide to eye drops for truck drivers covers similar ground for CDL drivers.

When to stop and get your eyes checked

If your vision blurs and doesn’t clear, you see halos that weren’t there before, or your eyes hurt, stop driving when it’s safe and have them looked at. The label’s stop-use line reads: 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. Working out what’s going on is a job for an eye doctor. Our list of eye symptoms that need a doctor explains which signs shouldn’t wait.