Dry eyes in Albuquerque

Albuquerque is high, sunny and dry, and spring is the hardest season on the eyes. NOAA lists the airport at about 5,310 feet, its tables put April and May afternoon humidity at 19 percent, and the National Weather Service names April and May as New Mexico’s windiest months. Wind plus dry air speeds evaporation from the eye. Quell’s label directions hold all year: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye.

High desert on the Rio Grande

The city spreads up from the Rio Grande toward the Sandia Mountains on its east side, and the airport sits on the higher ground south of downtown. NOAA records that weather station at 1,618 meters, roughly 5,310 feet above sea level. At that height the air holds less moisture, and the sun is strong.

NOAA’s Comparative Climatic Data count an average of 167 clear days a year at the airport and 76 percent of possible sunshine across the year. NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals give it 8.84 inches of precipitation annually and just under 8 inches of snow. Rain is measurable on about 56 days a year.

Spring wind and blowing dust

The NWS Albuquerque office has published a climatology of high winds across the state. It says the windiest time of year is April and May, with March and June close behind. Its explanation: the polar jet stream is moving north in spring but can still reach the Southwest, and as the ground heats, rising air mixes those faster winds down to the surface, often from heights of 7,500 to 10,000 feet.

The same page warns that high winds can raise blowing dust thick enough to cut visibility on the roads. For eyes, that means two things at once: wind carrying moisture off the surface, and grit in the air. Wraparound sunglasses help on a gusty walk across a parking lot. Closing car vents to outside air helps on a dusty drive along I-25 or I-40.

What NOAA’s humidity tables show

• April and May: average afternoon relative humidity of 19 percent at the airport, in NOAA’s Comparative Climatic Data from the 1948–2018 record.
• June: 17 percent, the lowest month of the year.
• July and August: 28 and 30 percent, as the summer rains arrive.
• December: 43 percent in the afternoon, the most humid month.
• Year round: 29 percent in the afternoon, 53 percent in the morning.

The jump between June and July is the summer rain season showing up in the numbers. NOAA’s normals put June-through-August precipitation at 3.52 inches, close to two-fifths of the year’s total, mostly in afternoon storms. Even then, afternoon humidity stays near 30 percent, so July is only less dry, not damp.

Daily life that dries eyes in Albuquerque

Summer highs average 90.1°F in NOAA’s 1991–2020 normals, so cars and buildings run cooling for months. Air conditioning in offices, stores and cars takes moisture out of the air it cools. Winter mornings are cold enough for the furnace, and heated air indoors dries further. Screens slow blinking anywhere, at a desk in a lab or a phone on a long drive.

If you hike the Sandia foothills or drive up toward the crest, you climb thousands of feet higher still, into thinner, windier air. Carry the bottle with you rather than leaving it in a car at a trailhead in the June sun. Quell’s storage line reads: Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F).

Using Quell in a high, dry city

Quell is designed to reinforce the tear film’s oil layer to help reduce moisture loss. Its Uses statement reads: For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye. The label gives one dose for every climate, Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye, and doesn’t add drops for altitude or wind. Questions about using more go to a doctor or pharmacist; how to use eye drops as directed walks through the label’s steps.

On dusty days, wash your hands before you open the bottle and keep the tip from touching anything: Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination. Check the liquid before each use. The eye drops have a naturally milky-brown appearance. This is normal and does not indicate a problem with the product. The label’s Do not use line reads: If this product changes color.

When to stop and see a doctor

Dust in the eye, a scratch from blowing grit or pain that doesn’t settle aren’t things a lubricating drop is meant for. 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. The site’s guide to eye symptoms that need a doctor goes through those signs.

Ordering Quell in Albuquerque

Quell ships from Brentwood, Tennessee to Albuquerque, Rio Rancho and every other New Mexico address. See the Albuquerque page and the New Mexico page for local ordering. Shipping is $10.00 per order and free on 3 or more bottles. In June, when afternoons are hottest and driest, bring a delivered box indoors promptly.