Dry eyes in Santa Fe, New Mexico

Santa Fe dries eyes through a mix of altitude, very little moisture in the air and long heating seasons. NOAA’s airport station sits above 6,300 feet, gets under 11 inches of precipitation a year and records more than 150 freezing nights. Indoor heat, wood smoke, bright sun and wind all add to it. Sunglasses, cooler and moister indoor air, regular blinking and a lubricating drop used as labeled help, and an eye doctor handles anything that persists.

Santa Fe’s climate in NOAA’s records

NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 climate normals come from Santa Fe Regional Airport, southwest of downtown, which the agency lists at about 6,344 feet. The figures describe a high, sunny place with cold nights almost half the year:

• Normal yearly precipitation is 10.71 inches, with only about 28 days a year bringing a tenth of an inch or more.
• February is the driest month at 0.35 inches; December and January are close behind.
• July and August bring the most rain, at 1.82 and 1.96 inches, from summer thunderstorms.
• About 153 nights a year fall to freezing or below. December and January each average roughly 30.
• January’s normal high is 44.3°F and December’s normal low is 19.5°F.
• Summer is warm but rarely brutal: July’s normal high is 88.5°F, with about 41 days a year at 90°F or warmer.

Does Santa Fe’s altitude make your eyes drier?

Altitude works on the eyes indirectly. Air at Santa Fe’s height holds less moisture to begin with, and sunlight is strong, so the air around your face is dry and often warmed by the sun even on a cool day. Wind across the open mesas and up from the Rio Grande valley keeps it moving. Dry, moving air pulls water from the tear film, the thin oil, water and mucus layer that keeps your eyes comfortable, faster than still, damp air does.

Visitors arriving from humid places often notice this within a day or two: eyes that feel scratchy by evening, lips that crack, skin that tightens. Residents who’ve been here for years still feel it on windy spring afternoons. Dry air, wind and altitude covers how those three forces stack up.

Wood smoke, kiva fireplaces and heated rooms

With so many freezing nights, heating runs for much of the year. Forced-air furnaces, radiant floors, wood stoves and the corner kiva fireplaces found in many adobe homes all warm the air without adding moisture to it. Warm, dry indoor air speeds evaporation from the eyes, and it’s the reason many people notice dryness most in the morning.

Smoke adds irritation on top. A wood fire on a still winter evening can leave a haze inside the room and over the neighborhood. If your eyes sting by the fire, sit farther back and keep the room ventilated. Our guide to fireplaces, candles and dry eyes has more practical steps. Small changes inside the house help too:

• Keep the thermostat a few degrees lower while you sleep and close any vent aimed at the bed.
• Run a humidifier in the bedroom, cleaned as its maker directs.
• Set reading chairs away from the fireplace and out of the path of warm air.
• Take short breaks outdoors on calm days; cold, still air bothers eyes less than hot, blowing air.

Winter sun, snow and the ski basin

Santa Fe’s winter days are often clear, and sunlight bounces hard off snow. Squinting into glare all afternoon is tiring, and wind on the slopes or on a ridge trail dries the eye’s surface quickly. Good sunglasses for town and goggles for skiing protect against both. Keep a bottle of eye drops in an inside pocket rather than a pack or a car, where it can freeze.

Galleries, studios and screens

Art and tourism shape Santa Fe’s working life. Gallery staff spend long days under bright display lighting, artists stare at fine detail for hours, and the state government offices around the capitol keep many more people at screens. Concentrated looking reduces how often you blink. A habit of looking up and blinking slowly every so often gives the tear film a chance to rebuild, whatever you’re focusing on.

Using a lubricating eye drop in Santa Fe

Quell is an over-the-counter lubricating drop. Its label lists its uses as: For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye. It’s preservative-free and is designed to reinforce the tear film’s oil layer to help reduce moisture loss. Read the panel before using it; the Drug Facts page shows every section.

• Directions: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye.
• Warning: Caution should be used in those with egg or bird allergies — For use in the eyes only.
• Do not use: If this product changes color.
• Storage: Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). In a Santa Fe winter that rules out an unheated car or garage.
• Appearance: The eye drops have a naturally milky-brown appearance. This is normal and does not indicate a problem with the product.

When dry eyes in Santa Fe need a doctor

High-desert dryness is common, but an eye doctor is the right person to find out whether something else is behind your symptoms and to decide what to do about it. The label is clear about when to stop: 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. Smoke exposure that leaves your eyes hurting long after you’ve left the room also deserves a professional look. The free dry eye self-check can help you describe what you’re feeling, and it is not a diagnosis.

Can I order Quell to Santa Fe?

Yes. Quell ships from Brentwood, Tennessee, to any New Mexico address. Shipping is $10.00 below 3 bottles and free from 3 on. Buyers must be at least 18, there’s no account to create and no subscription, and unopened bottles can be refunded within 30 days of delivery without being sent back. The site doesn’t promise a delivery date. In winter, bring the package inside soon after it arrives. More on the Santa Fe page and the New Mexico page.