New Year’s Eve and dry eyes

New Year’s Eve is hard on eyes because it stacks several drying things into one night: hours awake past your usual bedtime, a cold outdoor countdown, smoke drifting from fireworks, and packed, heated rooms. Blink deliberately, step away from smoke and heaters, and drink water between celebratory drinks. A lubricating drop used as labeled can help with dryness and irritation. Lasting pain or vision changes need a doctor.

Staying up past midnight

Eyes that stay open longer than usual spend more time exposed to air, and tired eyes blink less completely. By 1 a.m., many people notice a gritty, heavy feeling, especially if they’ve been up since early morning. Our guide to dry eyes from lack of sleep explains the connection.

A short nap in the late afternoon makes the night easier on your eyes and everything else. If you’re hosting, getting the cooking and setup done early leaves room for it.

Counting down outdoors in the cold

Watching the ball drop in a public square or fireworks over a lake usually means standing still in cold air for an hour or more. Cold winter air holds little moisture, and wind across a waterfront or open plaza pulls more of it off the eye. People also tend to stare upward at the sky, which widens the eye opening.

• Wear glasses or sunglasses if you have them, even at night, to block wind from the side.
• Stand where a building or crowd breaks the wind.
• Pull a scarf up over your nose so warm breath isn’t blowing back into your eyes from a tight collar.
• Look away from the sky and blink slowly a few times between bursts.

Fireworks smoke and sparklers

Fireworks leave a haze of smoke that hangs low on a still night, and sparklers put it right at face level. Smoke irritates eyes, and rubbing them afterward tends to make it worse. Watching from upwind, or from farther away, cuts how much reaches you. Hold sparklers at arm’s length and away from other people’s faces.

Quell’s label lists its Uses as: For use as a protectant against further irritation or to relieve dryness of the eye. That’s about easing eyes that already feel irritated. It doesn’t shield your eyes from smoke, so distance from the smoke matters more than anything you put in your eyes. If a spark, ember or debris gets in an eye, skip the drop and get medical help.

Heated, crowded rooms

A house party in winter runs hot: the furnace is on, the oven has been going for hours, and a few dozen people add their own warmth. Warm, dry air near heat registers, fireplaces and kitchen appliances speeds evaporation from the eye’s surface. Candles and a fireplace add a little smoke of their own.

• Find a seat away from the fireplace and heat vents.
• Crack a window for a few minutes if the room gets stuffy.
• If you’re hosting, run a humidifier in the main room during the afternoon.
• Alternate drinks with water; alcohol and salty party food can leave you dehydrated.

Contacts, makeup and the drive home

Long nights are when people forget to take out contact lenses or remove eye makeup. Glitter, which turns up on a lot of New Year’s outfits, has a way of migrating into eyes. Quell’s label doesn’t give directions for use with contact lenses, so contact wearers should follow their eye doctor’s guidance.

If you’re driving home after midnight, tired, dry eyes and oncoming headlights are a poor combination. Plan a ride, or rest before you leave. Our guide to dry eyes when driving in winter covers the car side.

Using a drop during the night

If you plan to use drops, follow the directions exactly: Apply 1 drop 3 times per day in each eye. Wash your hands first, and follow the handling line: Do not touch tip of bottle to any surface to avoid contamination. A bottle is .33 fl oz (10 mL), so it fits in a pocket or small bag. Keep it in an inside pocket on a cold night and indoors after; the label says: Store between 15° to 30°C (59° to 86°F).

The label also carries this warning: Caution should be used in those with egg or bird allergies — For use in the eyes only. The whole panel, including the “Do not use” line, is on the Drug Facts page.

New Year’s Day and after

Eyes that feel dry on January 1 usually improve with a full night’s sleep, fresh air and a day off screens. If they don’t, or they hurt, the label is direct: 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. Our list of eye symptoms that need a doctor covers what shouldn’t wait.

If you’ve been meaning to keep a bottle on hand through the winter, Quell ships within the US from Brentwood, Tennessee, and no delivery date is promised. You can order from the home page.