Moving to the tropics - did it help

[sunshinelover]

sunshine,

we definitely have a lot in common. What you have described happens to me too. My eyes is better than any tech-device to know the humidity or pollution in the air. Humidity makes a lot of difference to me. But when i was worse, even living in a city with 80% all days was terrible.
I wish move to a city on the coast again. But i will have to wait at leats 3 years for that. For while i need to cope with a six months of low and very low humidity fall and winter, with less than 30% of relative humidity everyday in winter.
I bought a humidifier, but it makes a real difference only if i close the door of the room and the relative humidity is below 40%.

Bakunin.
Why did you move to the drier city, and why canīt you move back? I SO wish there were somewhere in this country where th humidity all year round was like it is now i August. My eyes are doing much better - of course it is due to vacation, humidity around 60% and no cumputer work (except dry eye talk ) and I am nowhere nerar any AC or places with circulating air (not much shopping this year!) Instead I stay outside in the warm sunny climate and it makes such a difference. it took me untill a bought the hygrometer until I realized my good and badf eye days (and hours) where so linked to humidity in the environment. But as you say - if the inflammation is there then there is pain also in humid days.

[Anthony16]

I was in texas recently and my eyes were much better there.Funny enough i couldnt go outside for long as i wasnt used to that kind of heat.Even though the air con was on in my room all the time my eyes still felt very good.

Sorry to burst your bubbles guys but I live in the tropics 6 month of the year, Panama to be exact. In fact I am here as I write this. At times my hygrometer reads as high as 95%. The rest of my time is spent in good old Calgary, Alberta. My hygrometer there reads 35% much of the time. The lowest it ever has gone here was 75% and that was after a 2 month dry spell. Believe it or not my eyes were WORSE here last winter than they were in Calgary. Why?

Even thought we are only 8 degrees off of the equator Panama is never really hot 92 degrees max where I am (unless of course you are downtown on the pavement) but would average high 80's with an average of 78 degrees in the house day or night so no need for air conditioners. The wind hardly ever blows where I am (not true of the rest of the country). Sounds like an idyllic situation for eyes wouldn't you say? It is not....the reason?

Heat plus humidity makes you sweat, and sweating makes you uncomfortable and so to be really comfortable you need fans. Every room has a big fan in the middle and if you are in the room it needs to be on after 9:00 AM to feel really comfortable....ergo air movement constantly, even if you are not near it. In the car it is air conditioning. Every place of business is air conditioned and honestly you need to carry sweaters because they keep them as cold as meat lockers. It just seems like I am surrounded by constant air movement. I am very, very comfortable, capris and sandals and short sleeved T shirts day or night but my eyes are no better here than at home, in fact my problem first reared it's ugly head here.

The other problem is that the light is very bright here and during the dry season (our winter) it shines almost all day every day. Sometimes I need to wear sunglasses on the sunglasses.

Don't get me wrong, I am not about to move out and go back home for the winter BUT for sure I cannot say that I fare any better here than at home. Maybe if I lived on the beach, but o-o-o-h that creates it's own set of problems as a homeowner...no thanks....cheers F/G

[sunshinelover]

For me, I can feel almost normal if humidity is around 80% and it is WARM. I tend to feel the best when it is warm and humid so I am sweating. Also good with sunshine on the face...may be does something with the blood circulation and the fluids, lipids flowing better, I don't know...

[Joseph]

I think it depends on what is the reason for your dry eyes.. I have ocular rosacea and hot and humid days seem to be a trigger for my rosacea.

[Nancy Derby]

I moved to Florida last October from Missouri and previously from Wisconsin. Winter's were hard on my eyes. Dry air outside, and couldn't get outside. Good humidity (40-50) in the house helped alot. Now living in Florida I could get outside all winter. There was a big difference in the winters and I felt alot better. I say humidity did make a difference for me.

[bakunin]

Bakunin.
Why did you move to the drier city, and why canīt you move back? I SO wish there were somewhere in this country where th humidity all year round was like it is now i August. My eyes are doing much better - of course it is due to vacation, humidity around 60% and no cumputer work (except dry eye talk ) and I am nowhere nerar any AC or places with circulating air (not much shopping this year!) Instead I stay outside in the warm sunny climate and it makes such a difference. it took me untill a bought the hygrometer until I realized my good and badf eye days (and hours) where so linked to humidity in the environment. But as you say - if the inflammation is there then there is pain also in humid days.

Hi sunshine, I saw your post only today.

I can't move back because I'm in a new job as public servant and it takes 3 years to have the right to ask to move to other city.

Humidity has been what really makes a difference to me (of course moisture chamber glasses help very much). I'm on the fourth day of Restasis and I think it has been good to my eyes. I hope it works. In my dream after some months using it I will have my eyes back to normal like 13 months ago e I won't need any drops, goggles and sunglasses anymore

That kind of Split AC (at least is how we call them in brazil) is my number 1 enemy (an AC that is a fan at same time). I just can't stand in a place with that kind. Even with goggles it is tough.

Yes, the sun on my face gives me such a relief either!

[chrcoluk]

Right strap yourselves in Boys 'n' Gals!!..

Humidity: Warm air carries more moisture than Colder air.
In the Winter, you can breath out and create a Vapour, this is you adding Moisture to the COLD dry air with your warm(moister than outside air) breath..
In low tempratures with heavy cloud cover, humidity can rise to say 90%; but unfortuantly 90% of nothing(well very little) is still nothing!.
Ideally the best atmosphere would be Hot and sweaty(ooh-err!) with lots of cloud cover, like a storm brewing.. WITH NO AIR CONDITIONING !!!....
A bright hot day with not a cloud in the sky, Humidity will fall to below 50% but the warmer air is carrying more moisture than cold air..
So it is a case off 50% humidity in warm (moist air) enviroment Vs 90% humidity in colder less moist air...

Do i win a prize?....

I must be unusual, as consistently summers are worse for me, especially when they are hot and humid. Humid I tend to associate with sweating, if the weather is hot enough to sweat then thats big alarm bells for my eyes. In winter things are much easier, central heating been an exception tho. If its hot and sunny outside I generally have to stay indoors as well, a few secs in the sun can cause absolute agony for me.

[L8rgator]

I don't know if humid places help, but I can definitely say that less humidity hurts. It's been an awful winter here in WI, and I pretty much tell what the temperature is outside just by my dry eye. When it's below zero, having the eye bandaged shut with water on the bandage and tape over it doesn't even do the trick. I'm miserable. Under 20 degrees, and just wearing a sealed moisture chamber just isn't enough. The humidifier can only get the gauge up to 34% when it's that bad. Summer was not good, but was FAR better than winter. I can NEVER take off the moisture chamber in winter.