dry eyes worse in summer or winter??

[untkicker29]

I have not had dry eye during the true winter months in Texas, and so I was wondering if cold winter weather was worse than 100 degree Texas heat on dry eyes. I know cold air is drier in itself, but the heat extreme heat here seems to be hard to deal with as well. What is everyones opinion on the different seasons and their eye comfort??

[Lucy]

Unticker, I saw this awhile ago and thought I'd skip it as surely someone would reply to you. Well...since no one has, my 2 cents worth.

I don't think there is "an answer" to this question. I live in Michigan, which, by any stretch of the imagination, is much hotter than Michigan! We have had an extrodinarily warm summer though! I think for me, the winter season is the worst because we have furnaces blowing hot air from October through
April or May. When it's the coldest, the furnace goes almost constantly and it's awful. Some people may try to add moisture with humidifiers, but that's a whole other subject. My allergy doc says no humidifiers because it increases allergens, mold etc in the air. He doesn't care about my dry eyes, though.

Personally, I am bothered most when I go outdoors and the temperature is very cold. Say 15 degrees and below. Really hurts my eyes! Others have said their eyes feel good in cold weather. Go figure. Trying to "track" this for almost 6 years, there is no "average." I know air conditioning takes moisture from the air, but this is no where near as troublesome as the hot air from a furnace. Try riding in a car with the heater blowing, that's real torture. You can't turn it off or the windows frost/fog up!

I've noticed over the past week or two that it's prime allergy season for ragweed, etc. It will be this way until we have a good frost.

Lucy

[jcorbett]

I can't tell a big difference between seasons. Drafts bother me...whether it is air conditioning or heat. Buildings can be dry (or not dry) in winter or summer. All depends on how well they are humidified. Wind bothers me, summer or winter. I have seasonal allergies....right now something is really making me sneeze. They seem to make my eyes scratchy. Since Lucy is my 'neighbor' as I live in Wisconsin, it is probably ragweed, as she says it is prevalent now.
So....a nice, humid day with no wind is my favorite. Summer or winter, makes no difference.
And a car with heat or air on is never nice
And a new or remodeled building will get me everytime. I think there must be dust particles or something in the air from construction.
But everybody is different.

[homes]

for me personally, i get flares mostly during spring season which perhaps might be due to allergies. i always struggle with air conditioning indoors as well, it's horrible. again, like someone has forementioned, there is no straight answer - everybody is different as dry eye is a very "particular" disease.

[kurt]

in Texas, and so I was wondering if cold winter weather was worse than 100 degree Texas heat on dry eyes. I know cold air is drier in itself, but the heat extreme heat here seems to be hard to deal with as well. What is everyones opinion on the different seasons and their eye comfort??

The winter is harder to deal with because indoor heating during the winter decreases humidity. I would definite recommend some type of room humidifier.

[Lisa]

I haven't been through a winter yet since I have been diagnosed so I can't say if that will bother me or not but I can say that this summer has been terrible. The humidity just kills me! I felt like my eyeballs were baked into my eye sockets everytime I walked outdoors.