Dry eyes on a snowmobile

Snowmobiling dries eyes because you’re pushing your face into cold wind at speed, and cold, moving air pulls moisture from the tear film fast. Glare off snow and a fogging visor make it worse. A full-face helmet with a sealed visor or snug goggles is the main defense. Carry eye drops in an inside pocket against your body, and only use them after you’ve stopped the sled.

Why eyes dry out on a snowmobile

Three things work on your eyes at once. The air is cold and holds little moisture. The speed of the sled turns still air into a strong headwind. And the sun reflecting off snow makes you squint, which changes how fully you blink. The tear film, a thin layer of oil, water and mucus, loses water to moving, dry air much faster than to calm air, so even a short ride with an open visor can leave eyes stinging and watering at the same time.

The National Weather Service’s wind chill formula gives a sense of the force involved. At an air temperature of 0°F, a 30 mph wind produces a wind chill of about 26 below zero; at 10°F and 40 mph, it’s about 15 below. Those numbers describe what exposed skin feels, but your eyes are just as exposed if nothing covers them.

Helmets, visors and goggles

• A full-face helmet with the visor closed keeps the wind off your eyes completely; ride with it down, not cracked open.
• If you wear goggles with an open-face helmet, choose a pair that seals all the way around, with foam that sits flush on your face.
• A heated or double-pane visor, or a breath box, reduces fogging, which is what tempts people to flip the visor up.
• Carry a spare lens or a second pair of goggles. A fogged or iced lens is a reason to stop and swap, not to ride with no protection.
• Tinted lenses help on bright days; a lighter or clear lens is better in flat light and toward dusk.

Gaps are where the trouble starts. A goggle strap that’s loose over a hat, or a helmet that sits too high, lets a jet of air in at the edge and across the eye.

Sun on snow

Fresh snow reflects much of the sunlight that hits it, so a bright trail day puts light into your eyes from below as well as above. Squinting for hours is tiring and makes eyes feel dry and sore by evening. Tinted goggle lenses or a tinted visor are the first line of defense. On a lunch stop with your helmet off, put on sunglasses rather than going bare-eyed in the glare. Ski trips, cold wind and dry eyes covers similar conditions on the slopes.

Can I use eye drops while riding?

No. Never take your hands off the controls or lift your visor to put in drops while the sled is moving. Pull fully off the trail to a safe spot, shut the engine off, and let your eyes settle for a minute before doing anything. Then:

• Take off your gloves and, if you can, clean your hands with a wipe.
• Lift the visor or goggles, turn your back to the wind and tilt your head back.
• Follow the label’s directions: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye.
• Keep the tip away from gloves, snow and your face. The label says: Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination.
• Close your eyes for a moment, then lower your visor before you set off again.

Keeping eye drops from freezing on the trail

The label’s storage line reads: Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). A day on the trail is far colder than that, so where you carry the bottle matters. An inside chest pocket against a base or mid layer is the warmest spot you have, and much warmer than a tank bag, a tunnel bag or an outer jacket pocket. Leaving a bottle on the sled through a cold night or in an unheated trailer is a sure way to take it far below the label’s range.

The label doesn’t say what to do with a bottle that has frozen. Check it against the label: If this product changes color. The eye drops have a naturally milky-brown appearance. This is normal and does not indicate a problem with the product. If it looks different from usual or you’re unsure, don’t use it; ask a pharmacist or call Aurora Pharmaceuticals, LLC at 615.465.6041, M–F 9AM–5PM CST. Can eye drops freeze in a coat pocket? has more on cold-weather storage.

After the ride: the cabin and the lodge

Coming in from the cold often brings a second round of dryness. Cabins and lodges heated by wood stoves or forced air run warm and dry, and sitting near the fire with wind-chapped eyes can feel worse than the ride did. Sit back from the heat, drink water, and give your eyes a rest from screens for a while. If you use drops, the label’s directions still apply, counted across the whole day, including what you used on the trail.

When to stop riding and see a doctor

Snow, ice, branches and debris thrown up by other sleds can hit the eye. Something stuck in the eye, sharp pain or a sudden change in vision means stop riding and get medical help, not drops. Quell’s 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. Eye symptoms that need a doctor lists the warning signs.

Packing for a snowmobile trip

• A sealed bottle of lubricating eye drops in an inside pocket. Quell’s label lists its use as: For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye.
• Spare goggle lens or goggles, and an anti-fog cloth.
• Sunglasses for stops and the drive in.
• Hand wipes for clean hands before touching your eyes.
• Water, because it’s easy to forget to drink when you’re cold.

If you’re ordering before a trip, Quell ships from Brentwood, Tennessee, without a promised delivery date, so leave time. Read the whole label first on the Drug Facts page.