AC/heat or outside worse??

[untkicker29]

I was just wondering which is worse on your eyes, the AC/heat or being outside in the wind or just outside in general?

I play football and so I am outside alot, but my eyes seem to be much worse whenever I am inside. Watching TV or just being in a room with AC/heat makes my eyes feel much more worse than if I am outside in a howling wind.

I was just curious as to why this might be and if others feel the same way?

[Lucy]

An individual thing

My worst case scenario is being outside with no glasses/goggles and a brisk wind. Being in A/C does not seem to bother me, unless I'm under a vent. Forced air heat, car heaters, are killers for me. Living in Michigan, I'm probably exposed to artificial heat more than A/C.

Today, I am wearing scleral lens and I have to go out for errands. We have high winds, so I'll make sure to have some goggles on.

PS. I want to add that I've never played football or most other sports so you are in that environment more often than I.

[Rebecca Petris]

Temperature control is a big problem for a lot of us - it sucks all the moisture out of the air. Despite the humidity here in Florida, practically every doctor I've talked to has a burgeoning dry eye practice, not by any means limited to seniors. I'm sure A/C is a big part of the cause.

I think that maybe another factor is that indoors you're more likely to be doing something where you're focusing on a constant object (eg computer, TV) and blinking less.

[juninho]

A/C is a big problem for me,eyes always worse.
Eyes are bad in big supermarkets,here in England.

[Gaye]

Ac/heat or outside worse?

For me, it is heat. That dryness combined with any kind of blowing, is a nightmare. Then add a ceiling fan over the bed and I am in big trouble. I will take A/C anyday over that. I guess it is different for all of us.

[Amy09]

i feel the burning most when i'm indoors in the a/c and heat, but being in wind makes it impossible for me to barely open my eyes.

[Cindy]

Overall, furnace heat is bad for me. The worst of all however is the blowing air circulation in malls, airports, some restaurants, hotels...if my hair is blowing while walking down a hallway, concourse, wings of a mall...my eyes are toast.

[kaypeeoh]

I live in Wyoming. 'Wyoming' is a Native American word meaning, "Goddamn windy place." ;-) I'm in the western Wyoming desert, 8000ft altitude. Oddly, when I'm out in the wind my eyes feel fine. The wind makes my eyes tear up. That seems to moisturize my eyes. Tonight I put in the RGP contacts and ran for an hour under the full moon. It was around 20 degrees with a constant 30mph wind. Three hours later my eyes still feel like I'm wearing a cold pack on my eyes. So my guess is the dusty indoor pollution is more of a problem than cold outdoor air.

[Lucy]

kaypeeoh says:

So my guess is the dusty indoor pollution is more of a problem than cold outdoor air.

C'mon, who the hell knows?

Tonight I put in the RGP contacts and ran for an hour under the full moon. It was around 20 degrees with a constant 30mph wind. Three hours later my eyes still feel like I'm wearing a cold pack on my eyes.

You're trying to make the rest of us look like sissies, aren't you? Well, we have SNOW plus what you have.

Three hours later my eyes still feel like I'm wearing a cold pack on my eyes.

OK, does this mean your eyes feel good still? My eyes will feel like I'm wearing a coldpack too when I take one to bed with me. The very cold weather hurts my eyes. Maybe I can rig a heater to some of my eye-gear.

For those not knowing, the above is in jest. WYOMING is always colder, darker, windier than we have. Plus, he RUNS for hours and hours, making me feel like a putz.

[20/20_Hindsight]

For me, both heat and A/C are major problems.

Any building (ie, mall, office building, airport, restaurant, store, etc.) is a big problem. (like anywhere I might want to get a job). Any indoor air movement is bad.

Inside a car with the A/C or heat on is deadly. Outside, I am much better, even on a windy day.

[Cindy]

eyecicles

It was around 20 degrees with a constant 30mph wind. Three hours later my eyes still feel like I'm wearing a cold pack on my eyes.

Dude, your eyes were frozen.