Why do eyes hurt in stores?

[dgreen97]

I just noticed that on this list there is actually a mention of eyes hurting in walmart. I've noticed this in stores like target, walmart, or any other big store where my eyes feel worse when I go in. Anybody know why this is? Is it because of the air conditioning and the ventilation or what? Obviously it happens to other people as well if it's on this list.

# Your eyes are always uncomfortable out of doors in the wind.
# You have stopped doing certain outdoors activities because your eyes just hurt too much.
# Your eyes are always uncomfortable in stores like Wal-Mart.
# You have a really hard time working in an office environment because of the low humidity, heat or a/c and fluorescent lighting.
# Your eyes are very sensitive to light - sunlight, bright fluorescent lighting like in airports and warehouse type stores, etc.
# You don't read for pleasure anymore because of dry eye.
# Your eyes hurt a lot when driving because of dry eye.
# You have severe chronic dry eye from any cause and it is affecting your quality of life.
# You suffer from recurrent corneal erosions.
# You have eyelid abnormalities preventing complete lid closure with every blink.

[Rebecca Petris]

Combination of lighting and ventilation I believe. If I'm not wearing Panoptx I have to cover my eyes with my hands when I walk through those darned blowing machines at the entrance to Walmart. And that's with my sclerals in! Wish I could avoid the place altogether but there are certain things I can't get somewhere else.

For me any big store with that type of lighting does it... also airports. But Walmart definitely is the worst.

[20/20_Hindsight]

For me, the worst store is Home Depot. They have those lights, (maybe mercury vapor?) that cast a weirdish tint. Combine those lights with the air blowing and its a recipe for disaster for me. I was in the store one day for 10 minutes just trying to quickly pick up a gallon of paint and had a corneal erosion.

[calli66]

I agree about the Home Depot. The lumber and plywood "outgas" fumes from glues and resins---that section is really bad for me.

Fabric stores: the material gives off volatiles from sizing chemical (like starch) which really burns.

Walmart---Ick! Now that they have Subway fast-food in-store, there's always a sickening smell of their "homemade" dough wafting around the whole store. It smells like amoxycillin to me---isn't that weird? One sniff and I'm remembering that pink medicine.

I think part of the problem comes from product and packaging "fumes"---large quantities of treated cardboard, rubber, plastics, etc. There may be pesticides, floor cleaning products, floor waxes, too---air-borne volatiles and particles constantly moving on a steady, drying breeze.

C