Dry eyes for warehouse workers

Warehouse work dries eyes through constant air movement: big ceiling and floor fans, drafts through open dock doors, and forklifts and conveyors stirring dust. Add scanner and screen work, long shifts and sometimes night hours, and eyes can feel gritty by break time. Safety glasses, standing out of direct fan flow, blinking breaks and a lubricating drop used as labeled help.

Fans, drafts and dock doors

Large warehouses rely on moving air to stay bearable. High-volume ceiling fans, pedestal fans at workstations and air curtains over doors keep people cooler, but moving air is one of the fastest ways to pull water from the tear film. Wherever you work, notice where the air comes from:

• Turn a station fan so it hits your chest or back, not your face.
• When you can choose a spot at a packing table, pick one out of the main fan path.
• At the dock, the draft through an open door in winter is cold and dry. Glasses help block it.
• In summer, an air-conditioned break room after hours in a hot building can feel harsh; give your eyes a minute.

Dust, cardboard and grit

Cardboard sheds fine fibers, pallets shed wood dust, and floor sweepers and forklift tires keep everything moving. Grit makes dry eyes feel worse, and rubbing grinds particles across the surface.

• Wear the safety glasses your site provides; wraparound styles block both dust and drafts.
• Wash your hands before touching your face, especially after breaking down boxes.
• If something gets in your eye, use your site’s eyewash station and tell your supervisor.
• See a doctor if it still feels like something is stuck, or if there’s pain or blurred vision.

Quell’s label doesn’t cover flushing debris out of an eye; that’s what an eyewash station is for.

Scanners, screens and pick lists

Handheld scanners, wrist screens, pick-to-light displays and inventory terminals all pull your focus close. People blink less while focusing on screens, and a fast pick rate leaves little time to look away. Try to blink fully each time you confirm a scan or set down a tote, and look up at the far end of the aisle when you walk between locations. Screens and your tear film explains why this matters.

Cold storage and freezer sections

Workers in refrigerated or freezer areas face very cold air, often moved by evaporator fans. Cold air carries little moisture, so stepping out of a freezer into a warmer building doesn’t restore much humidity. Insulated hoods and face coverings help with the cold; fitted safety glasses or goggles cut the airflow on your eyes. Keep any eye drops out of the freezer area entirely.

Long shifts and night work

Ten- and twelve-hour shifts, mandatory overtime in peak season and rotating nights all leave eyes tired. Short sleep tends to make eyes feel drier the next shift. Protect your sleep where you can: a dark, cool bedroom and the same bedtime on days off. Our guide to dry eyes on the night shift covers more.

Keeping Quell in your locker

Quell is an over-the-counter lubricating drop. Its Uses line reads: For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye. The directions are Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye, which fits a shift: once before you clock in, once on your lunch break and once at the end. It’s designed to reinforce the tear film’s oil layer to help reduce moisture loss.

A locker is a good place for a bottle if it stays within the label’s range: Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). Lockers in climate-controlled break rooms usually do. Lockers near dock doors, in unheated areas or in a building that isn’t air conditioned in summer may not. In that case, keep the bottle in a jacket pocket or bag that stays with you.

• Wash your hands before using it, especially after handling boxes.
• Follow the label’s handling rule: Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination.
• Don’t share a bottle with coworkers.
• If swallowed, get medical help or contact a Poison Control Center immediately.
• Know how it should look: Product appears as a milky brown solution.

If you wear contact lenses on shift, the label doesn’t address that; check with your eye doctor. You can read the full panel on the Drug Facts page and order from the home page.

When it’s more than dryness

Workplace eye injuries need prompt attention: use the eyewash, report it and get seen. For dryness that hangs on, see an eye doctor. The 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. Our list of eye symptoms that need a doctor can help you decide.