Any tips for watery eyes?

[vectoranalysisgo 3]

So here’s a thing that has become more noticeably annoying for me, to the extent that I’m now seeking the wisdom of anyone else who’s experienced it and figured out a solution... eyes watering in the cold air. Blurs my vision, doesn’t seem to stop until half way into a skate once I’m warm or they adjust... even if I wipe them, blow my nose, whatever... the tears just keep coming. I’ve taken to just trying to blink at opportune times, and basically skate around with tears streaming down my face, but it’s inevitable that I have multiple moments in a game where I have trouble seeing - blurry tear filled vision. I mishandle a pass or misjudge a puck’s movement. 

I’ve been playing for about ten years and have always been a person whose eyes water immediately in the cold, but it might be getting worse as I get older, or it might be that I’m getting better and therefore it’s affecting my play more? Who knows. It drives me nuts. It’s not too bad in the summer when rinks are warm enough but every year when it gets cold, I find myself wishing I had a solution.  

They don’t feel dry, so I don’t think eye drops would help - it seems like the opposite problem. It’s worst in the coldest rinks and games where I’m skating more vs. less, so I assume it’s just my body’s reaction to the cold air. I get the same reaction any time I walk the dog outside in the cold. I’ve tried wearing a neck warmer/gaiter over my nose and mouth, which sometimes helps when I’m outdoors, but it didn’t seem to help with the blurry watery eyes and I couldn’t stand it. 

I wear a full cage. I assume if I switched to plastic the shield would help but I don’t really love that idea. But if nothing else works I may have to break down and give it a try. 

Anyone else deal with this? I literally look like I’m crying for the first few shifts of any cold late night game; it’s kinda hilarious, except when I’m missing passes just inches off my stick because I have blurry triple vision if I don’t blink every 2 seconds.  

Edited November 25, 2018 by vectoranalysisgo

[badger_14 601]

While your eyes may not feel dry, the watering is essentially a response to the cold, dry air.  The body is cued to think "o no it's dry I'd better protect my exposed mucous membranes", thence the lacrimation situation. (And the runny nose.)  One recommendation is protective eyewear (goggles or sport glasses), another is putting in eyedrops before going outside (so your body feels like the eyes are plenty saturated already).  You could theoretically try a decongestant (pseudoephedrine) or antihistamine (benadryl) since those do dry you out.  If you already wear glasses, ask your eye doctor what they recommend. 

[puckpilot 312]

If your body needs time to adjust to the cold, why not get dressed early and go sit outside the dressing room in the cold so your body is adjusted by the time the game starts?

 

it might look like your balling your eyes out before a game, but it might be a simple solution if it works. 

[vectoranalysisgo 3]

Decongestant isn’t a bad idea... I remember a teammate years ago jokingly tell me about taking Sudafed every time he plays for the speed-like effect (because he read the pros do it, 🙄) but the decongestive effect was a nice bonus for him. I hadn’t thought about that til now...

I don’t think sitting on the bench any earlier will do much because it tends not to get bad until I’m actually skating with air blowing against my face, breathing heavy, etc.

I don’t wear glasses or contacts at all and don’t have an eye doctor but it’s on my todo list so maybe I’ll ask about eye drops when I go... 

I’ll try some pregame Sudafed and if it doesn’t work I guess I may just have to invest in some rec specs.

[badger_14 601]

The regular old artificial tears (not the saline ones - polyethylene glycol) might work over sudafed (or in addition to), as they're doing basically what rec-specs would do - provide a barrier against the cold air. 

 

[chippa13 1844]

19 hours ago, vectoranalysisgo said:

Decongestant isn’t a bad idea... I remember a teammate years ago jokingly tell me about taking Sudafed every time he plays for the speed-like effect (because he read the pros do it, 🙄) but the decongestive effect was a nice bonus for him. I hadn’t thought about that til now...

I don’t think sitting on the bench any earlier will do much because it tends not to get bad until I’m actually skating with air blowing against my face, breathing heavy, etc.

I don’t wear glasses or contacts at all and don’t have an eye doctor but it’s on my todo list so maybe I’ll ask about eye drops when I go... 

I’ll try some pregame Sudafed and if it doesn’t work I guess I may just have to invest in some rec specs.

As someone on blood pressure meds as part of my stent placement, I'd recommend against unnecessary doses of Sudafed. Tell your buddy he can get a safer boost from a normal cup of coffee.

[Left Wing King 50]

Try a fishbowl?