Dry eyes in Wichita, Kansas

Wichita dries eyes with wind and heat. NOAA’s wind records put the city among the 20 windiest of about 265 major weather stations, and its normals show roughly 65 days a year at 90°F or hotter, when air conditioning runs nonstop. Wear wraparound sunglasses outside, keep vents and fans off your face, blink fully during screen and inspection work, and use a lubricating drop as labeled.

How windy is Wichita?

NOAA’s Comparative Climatic Data table of average wind speeds covers about 265 weather stations across the US and its territories. Wichita’s airport station ranks 20th, windier on average than Omaha, Kansas City or Tulsa. Within the year, April is the windiest month on average and August the calmest, though no month is truly still.

A steady breeze matters to eyes because moving air carries moisture away from the tear film faster than still air. You may not notice a 15-minute walk across a parking lot, but a full afternoon at a ballgame, on a construction site or on a riding mower adds up. The habit that helps most is simple: glasses that wrap around the side so the wind can’t reach the eye surface directly.

Summer heat and air conditioning

NOAA’s 1991 to 2020 normals for Wichita’s airport show July averaging a high of 92.6°F and August 91.0°F. About 65 days a year reach 90°F, and about 12 reach 100°F. Cooling degree days, a measure of how much air conditioning a place needs, total about 1,770 a year, high for a city that also has real winters.

That heat sends people indoors and into cars, where AC is always on. Air conditioners dry the air as they cool it, and a vent pointed at your face doubles the effect. The afternoon humidity table backs up the feeling: Wichita’s July afternoons average 50 percent relative humidity, the lowest of the year, with August close behind at 51 percent.

• Aim the car vents at your chest and hands when you pull out of a hot parking lot.
• Shift a desk fan so it blows across you rather than into your face.
• Take water with you; a dry mouth on a hot day often comes with dry-feeling eyes.
• Step out of the glare for a few minutes every hour if you work outside.

The Air Capital and eyes on the job

The Kansas Department of Commerce describes Wichita as recognized globally as the Air Capital of the World, and says Kansas delivers about one-third of all general aviation planes built in the US. The same page notes that B-29 bombers rolled off Wichita assembly lines in the 1940s, and the city’s plants have built airframes and parts ever since.

Many of those jobs are hard on the eyes. Inspectors and assemblers stare at close detail for long stretches, which cuts blink rate. Big hangars and plant floors rely on large ventilation systems that keep air moving. Composite sanding and drilling create fine dust, and the required safety glasses can trap warm air or channel a draft. A few habits fit into most shifts:

• Keep the safety glasses on; they’re the main barrier between debris and your eyes.
• Wash your hands before touching your eyes, especially after handling sealants, fluids or composite dust.
• On breaks, look across the floor at something distant and blink slowly several times.
• If something gets into your eye on the job, use the plant’s eyewash station and report it rather than reaching for a lubricating drop.

Wichita winters and spring storms

Winters are milder than in Nebraska or the Dakotas, with a January high averaging 43.9°F and a low of 22.5°F, and normal snowfall around 12.7 inches. Still, about 4,410 heating degree days a year mean the furnace runs from November into March. March and April afternoons, before the May storm season brings the year’s wettest month, average around 53 to 54 percent humidity. Late winter and early spring, when the wind is high and the grass is still dormant, are prime time for dust and dry eyes.

Where to keep eye drops in Wichita

Quell’s storage line reads Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). A closed car in a Wichita summer climbs far past that, so the glove box and the dashboard are out. Keep the bottle in a lunch bag, a locker, a desk drawer or your home. Can you leave eye drops in a hot car? has more on checking a bottle that got too warm.

What Quell is for

The label’s Uses: For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye. Quell is designed to reinforce the tear film’s oil layer to help reduce moisture loss. The directions say Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. Active ingredients are Glycerol (1.0%), Polysorbate 80 (1.0%) and Light Mineral Oil (0.5%). Read the whole Drug Facts panel before your first drop.

Dryness that keeps returning, pain, or blurry vision that doesn’t clear with a blink are reasons to see an eye doctor. The label puts it this way: 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. Dry eyes for outdoor workers has more for people on job sites.

Ordering Quell in Wichita

Quell ships to Kansas from Brentwood, Tennessee for $10.00 per order, and 3 bottles ship free. You can check out as a guest, and orders aren’t tied to a subscription. No delivery date is promised. The Wichita page and the Kansas page have more local details.