Dry eyes when riding a motorcycle

Riding a motorcycle dries your eyes because air rushes across them at road speed, far faster than any breeze you’d feel standing still. A closed full-face visor, sealed goggles or wraparound glasses cut most of that wind. Use eye drops before you ride or at a stop with the engine off, never while moving, and keep the bottle in a jacket pocket rather than a hot saddlebag.

Why motorcycle riding dries your eyes

Wind speeds up evaporation from the tear film, and on a bike your face is the leading edge. At highway speed, any gap in your eye protection lets a steady stream of air across the surface of your eyes. Riders also tend to concentrate hard and scan the road, which cuts down on blinking. Put the two together for an hour and it’s no surprise your eyes feel gritty at the first gas stop.

Watery eyes are part of it too. Strong wind can make your eyes stream, which blurs your view, and then they feel dry once you stop. That cycle is the same one cyclists know, but faster; dry eyes when cycling covers the lower-speed version.

Full-face, modular or open-face helmets

• Full-face with the visor down blocks the most direct wind. Close it fully at speed; riding with it cracked open sends a jet of air across your eyes.
• Modular helmets work like a full-face only with the chin bar locked down.
• Three-quarter and open-face helmets need separate eye protection: goggles or wraparound glasses that seal close to the face.
• Half helmets leave your eyes exposed entirely without goggles.

Eye protection rules for riders vary by state, and some require goggles, glasses or a windscreen. Check your own state’s motorcycle rules, and remember that the requirement is about safety from debris as much as comfort.

Helmet vents and airflow

Most full-face helmets have chin and forehead vents. They keep the visor from fogging, but some route air across the inside of the visor and into your eyes. If your eyes dry out with the visor closed, try closing the brow vent and leaving the chin vent open, or the reverse, and notice which feels better on a familiar road. A visor insert that reduces fogging can let you run the vents less. Make sure the helmet fits snugly, since a loose helmet can let air in around the eye port.

Windscreens and turbulence

A windscreen can help or hurt. A screen at the right height pushes air over your helmet; one that’s slightly too short or too tall can send buffeting turbulence right at the visor opening, which feels worse than clean wind. If your eyes water more after fitting a new screen, an adjustable or different-height screen may make a difference.

Cold-weather rides

Cold air holds little moisture, and wind chill at speed is far colder than the thermometer shows. On late-fall and winter rides:

• Keep the visor fully closed and use an anti-fog insert so you’re not tempted to crack it.
• Wear a neck gaiter or balaclava to stop cold air from rushing up under the helmet.
• Heated grips and gloves keep your fingers working, which matters when you stop to use a drop.
• Take more frequent breaks, warm up indoors, and blink fully a few times before you head back out.

Never put eye drops in while riding

A drop blurs your vision for a moment, and taking a hand off the bars at speed is dangerous. Plan drops around the ride instead:

• Before you gear up, with clean hands and a mirror.
• At a fuel or rest stop: pull over somewhere safe, switch off the engine, take off the helmet and gloves, and wash or sanitize your hands.
• Wait until your vision is clear again before you put the helmet back on and ride.

Quell’s directions are Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye, so a morning drop and one at a lunch stop fit naturally into a day’s ride. Riding gloves pick up grime, fuel and bugs, so take them off before handling the bottle. The label says Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination.

Where to keep eye drops on a motorcycle

The label’s storage line reads Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F). That rules out a lot of places on a bike:

• Hard saddlebags and top cases sitting in summer sun can get much hotter than the air around them.
• Tank bags sit on top of the bike in direct sun, and some sit near engine heat.
• Under-seat storage on many bikes sits close to the engine or exhaust.
• On a cold ride, an exterior jacket pocket gets as cold as the wind.

An inside chest pocket of your riding jacket is usually the most stable spot, warmed by your body but out of direct sun. On a long tour, keep spare bottles in your room or in a bag you carry inside at each stop. Can you leave eye drops in a hot car? explains why heat matters.

Bugs, grit and when to stop

If something hits your eye at speed, pull over as soon as it’s safe. Don’t rub it. Blinking and natural tears often clear small grit, but a lubricating drop isn’t meant for flushing out debris or for an injury. If you feel pain, your vision changes, or the feeling of something in your eye won’t go away, get it checked by an eye doctor or urgent care. The label’s limit is clear: 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. See eye symptoms that need a doctor.

Contact lenses under a helmet

Many riders wear contacts, and wind can make them feel dry quickly. Quell’s label doesn’t give directions for use with contact lenses, so ask your eye doctor what works for you on the bike.