Weather -- what's really best? Relative humidity, temperature, and evaporation rates

[nick]

Hello all,

I want to start a conversation on what people have found to be best environmental conditions for dry eyes. I'm looking at moving cities in the next year, and I've suddenly realized I'm not entirely sure what types of conditions would be best.

Obviously relative humidity comes into play, but not long ago I heard a physicist on NPR talking about how evaporation rates can be higher early in the morning -- when relative humidity is high but temperatures are low -- than in the afternoon when relative humidity is lower but temperatures are higher.

Does anyone out there understand what the relationship between temperature, relative humidity, and evaporation rates? A physicist, perhaps?

Thanks!

Nick

[odydnas]

Hi Nick,
I cannot help you with choosing a city to live in based purely on mathematical models of temperature, relative humidity, and evaporation rates, but I can offer some advice on places to live based on symptoms.

For example, its probably best for everyone to stay away from living in desserts or places that consistently have humidities <30%. Also, places with extreme temperatures can be bad because you will have to use A/C or heat year round and that's a killer for most people with dry eyes. That already rules out a lot of cities. I live in SF right now, where the pollution is relatively low, and the weather is mild (never gets too hot or cold) so I never have to turn on the A/C and only use the heat a couple months of the year. It is also pretty humid here...my room humidity averages 60% year-round, and its foggy many days so my eyes don't feel so terrible outside. THe bad thing is that it's constantly windy...which is a killer. But I figure, you can't have it all.

I really feel a difference if I go to NYC: constant A/C and pollution. The air outside, while wasn't windy the times I was there, really hurt my eyes...could have been the pollution. Places like Las Vegas and Arizona was terrible to visit. Florida was very nice and humid...but everywhere I went, the A/C was on and I did not like that.

I actually also really like Seattle...rains about 9 months out of the year...my eyes definitely feel better when it rains. The weather also isn't too extreme.

I hope that helps!