Dry eyes in December

Dry eyes in December usually come from several things at once: heating systems running day and night, the shortest days of the year keeping people indoors on screens, and holiday travel, parties and late nights. Lower the thermostat a little, add moisture to the bedroom air, take screen breaks, keep vents off your face, and use a lubricating drop as its label directs.

Why December feels different from November

In much of the country the heat comes on in November, but December is when it runs hardest and longest. The days are shortest around the winter solstice, near December 21, so more hours are spent inside with the furnace on and the lights and screens bright. Cold outdoor air holds little water, and warming it indoors drops its relative humidity even further. The result is air that pulls moisture from the tear film’s surface faster than usual, at a time when people also blink less because they’re reading, scrolling, wrapping gifts or working on end-of-year deadlines.

Each of those on its own might not bother your eyes much. Together, over a month, they add up.

Does winter cause dry eyes?

Winter doesn’t cause dryness on its own, but its conditions make it easier to notice. Dry, heated air speeds evaporation. Wind outdoors does too. Long indoor hours mean more screen time, and focusing on a screen slows the blink that spreads fresh tears across the eye. For people whose eyes already feel dry, December tends to concentrate those effects. Our guide to winter heating and dry eyes covers the home side in detail.

Dry eyes in winter: symptoms people describe

• A gritty or sandy feeling, often worse by evening.
• Burning or stinging after time in a heated room or car.
• Eyes that water outdoors in cold wind, then feel dry again inside.
• Blurry moments while reading that clear with a few blinks.
• Eyes that feel tired after a long movie or a day of screens.

Those are common descriptions, not a way to work out what’s going on. Pain, vision changes that don’t clear, or symptoms in one eye only belong with an eye doctor.

A week-by-week plan for December

Early December: set up the house. Clean and fill a bedroom humidifier, check that the heat registers near the couch and desk aren’t aimed at where you sit, and set the thermostat a degree or two cooler at night. Order eye drops now if you’ll need them over the holidays, since shipping gets busier as the month goes on.

Mid-December: watch the screens. Shopping online, end-of-year reports and holiday cards on a laptop all mean long stretches of focus. Every so often, look away across the room and blink fully a few times. Our guide to holiday screen time and dry eyes has more ideas.

The holidays: plan for travel and gatherings. Airplane cabins and long car rides are dry. Wood fires, candles and crowded warm rooms can leave eyes feeling scratchy. Pack your drops where you can reach them, and sit away from the fireplace if it bothers you.

The last week: catch up on sleep. Late nights and early flights leave little rest, and eyes that have been open longer have had more time to dry out. A few early nights help more than any gadget.

Traveling with eye drops in December

TSA’s liquids rule lets carry-on travelers bring containers of 3.4 ounces (100 milliliters) or less in a single quart-size bag. A bottle of Quell holds .33 fl oz (10 mL), well under that limit. Keep it in your carry-on or coat rather than checked luggage, where temperatures can swing. The label’s storage line is Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F), so a car trunk on a freezing night is no place for it. See traveling with eye drops for packing tips.

How Quell fits into a December routine

Quell is a preservative-free lubricating eye drop designed to reinforce the tear film’s oil layer to help reduce moisture loss. Its label gives the Uses as 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. Read the caution before trying it: Caution should be used in those with egg or bird allergies — For use in the eyes only.

Orders ship from Brentwood, Tennessee, with guest checkout and email tracking. Shipping is $10.00, or free on 3 or more bottles. Because we don’t promise a delivery date and December is busy for every shipper, order well ahead of any holiday trip. Unopened bottles can be refunded within 30 days of delivery without being returned. See prices and order.

When December dryness needs a doctor

If your eyes still bother you after you’ve changed the air at home and cut back on screen marathons, an eye doctor can look for the cause and what to do about it. The label lists the signs to stop and call: 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.