Eye Drops for Smoky Air -- Wildfire Smoke and Your Eyes

Why smoke makes your eyes itch and burn

When wildfire smoke from Northern Ontario settles over Toronto, the clinic fills with the same complaint: red, gritty, itchy eyes. Wildfire smoke is fine particulate matter suspended in the air. It settles on the surface of your eye, disrupts the tear film that keeps the surface smooth and comfortable, and sets off the redness, watering, and itch that come with it.

The instinct is to rub. Try not to – rubbing grinds the particles into the surface and makes the irritation worse.

What actually helps

Flush and lubricate with preservative-free drops

The single most useful thing you can do is rinse the particulate off the surface and keep it lubricated. Preservative-free artificial tears do both. Because they contain no preservative, there is no daily limit – use them as often as your eyes need, which during a heavy smoke day may be every hour or two.

• HYLO – sodium hyaluronate, preservative-free multi-dose, a daily workhorse we keep in stock.
• I-DROP PUR – sodium hyaluronate, preservative-free multi-dose, Canadian-made.

Add an ectoine barrier drop

Ectoine is an ingredient that forms a protective film on the ocular surface, reducing contact between airborne irritants and the eye. It is the smoke-relevant part of the equation, on top of lubrication.

• HYLO DUAL – sodium hyaluronate plus ectoine, preservative-free multi-dose, works with contacts in or out. Our pick for smoke season.
• I-DEFENCE – an ectoine barrier drop that can be used preventively before you head out and reactively when symptoms flare.

Give your contact lenses a break

On the worst days, switch to glasses. Lenses trap smoke particulate against the cornea and hold it there, and smoke worsens the tear-film drying that makes lenses uncomfortable anyway. If you must wear lenses, daily disposables are the better choice during a smoke event because you discard the day’s accumulated particulate each night.

Cool the itch

A cold compress over closed eyes calms histamine-driven itch and redness when drops alone are not quite enough.

• I-RELIEF Mask – reusable gel mask, used cold for smoke and allergy irritation.
• Bruder Mask – bead-filled mask used cold or warm.

When to come in

Smoke events usually pass within a few days, and the irritation clears with them. Book an assessment if:

• Irritation persists after the air improves
• Your eyes stay red and angry despite frequent preservative-free drops
• You notice pain, light sensitivity, or any change in vision

The last group is not typical of simple smoke irritation and should be looked at. A smoke event can also unmask an underlying dry eye or meibomian gland condition that was borderline the rest of the year – at Spadina Optometry in downtown Toronto we assess the tear film and ocular surface and build a plan that holds up the next time the air turns.

Related

• Smoky skies, scratchy eyes – the short version, for right now
• Eye drops for digital eye strain in Canada – the full guide to preservative-free tears
• Allergy eye drops in Canada – what’s OTC, what’s Rx, and how ectoine barrier drops work
• Dry eye disease – causes, types, and treatment
• Why is dry eye worse in winter? – the cold-season environmental trigger