Dry eyes on a long train ride

Long train rides dry the eyes because the car’s heating and cooling system recirculates dry air, people read or watch screens for hours with fewer blinks, and sleeping upright in a seat often leaves the eyes partly open or under a vent. Pack eye drops in a small bag you keep at your seat, away from a sunny window, and use them as the label directs.

Why your eyes dry out on a train

A passenger car is a sealed space with forced-air heating and cooling, much like an office building on wheels. Heated air in winter and cooled air in summer are both drier than you’d like, and the vents along the wall or overhead keep it moving. On a trip that runs from one morning to the next across several states, that adds up.

• Vents near the window or overhead blow across your face for hours.
• The car’s climate system runs constantly, so there’s no break from it.
• Watching scenery, reading or using a laptop reduces blinking.
• Dozing in a seat can leave the eyes slightly open, so the surface dries.

Reading, screens and the view

Trains are good for reading, working and watching movies, and all three cut down blinking. Watching the landscape roll by is easier on the eyes because you look into the distance, but people still blink less while staring. Every half hour or so, look away, close your eyes for a few seconds and blink fully. Screens and your tear film explains why screens make this worse.

Sleeping in a seat or a roomette

Sleeping sitting up, with your head against a window or a vent, often means air blows straight across your face all night. In a sleeper, the room’s vent is usually adjustable.

• Close or redirect the vent closest to your face before you sleep.
• Use a sleep mask; it blocks light and some of the airflow.
• Lean away from the window, which can be cold in winter and hot in summer sun.
• If your eyes feel dry when you wake up, wait a few minutes and blink before you start reading.

Carrying eye drops on a train

Most long-distance passenger trains in the US don’t put you through airport-style security screening, so the TSA’s liquids rule for airplanes doesn’t usually come into it. Each railroad sets its own carry-on rules, though, so check its baggage policy before you pack. A small bottle of eye drops typically fits easily in a personal item.

• Pack the bottle in a small bag you keep at your seat, not in a checked bag or the luggage rack at the end of the car.
• Keep the cap on and the bottle upright in a zip pocket.
• Bring the carton or a photo of the label if you like to have the directions with you.
• If you’re flying one leg of the trip, see Dry eyes on a plane for airport rules.

Keeping the bottle out of a hot window seat

A window seat in afternoon sun gets warm, and a bottle left on the sill or tucked against the glass heats up with it. Quell’s label gives a storage range: Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). Keep the bottle in a bag on the floor or the aisle side, out of direct sun. On a winter route through the mountains, the window side can get cold too.

Using drops on a moving train

Trains sway, which makes aiming harder. The restroom is a natural place to wash your hands, but a moving restroom isn’t always the steadiest spot for a drop. Washing your hands there, then returning to your seat while the train is on a smooth stretch, often works better.

• Wash your hands in the restroom, or use hand sanitizer and let it dry.
• Sit back with your head against the headrest.
• Pull down your lower lid, look up and squeeze one drop.
• Close your eyes gently for a moment, then do the other eye.
• Recap the bottle right away. Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination.

The label sets the count: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. On a long ride that might mean one in the morning, one at lunch in the dining car, and one in the evening. Quell is Product appears as a milky brown solution, so the bottle looks the same in a dim car as in daylight; if the color has changed from how it arrived, don’t use it.

Ordering before your trip

Quell ships only within the US, from Brentwood, Tennessee, and doesn’t promise a delivery date, so order well before you leave. Shipping is $10.00, or free with 3 bottles. You can order as a guest. If your eyes stay sore or your vision changes after the trip, see an eye doctor rather than waiting it out.