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Dry Eyes During Heating Season: How to Get Through Winter Without Burning, Stinging, or Tearing

With the start of the heating season, more people begin to complain about burning, stinging, or excessive tearing of the eyes. Heated rooms, dry air, long hours at the computer, and icy winter winds create a combination that puts significant strain on vision. The eyes become dry, the tear film is disrupted, and natural tear production is often insufficient. The result is an unpleasant feeling of fatigue, pressure, or the sensation of a foreign body in the eye.

These symptoms are not just minor discomfort—they are often the first signs of developing dry eye disease, a condition that worsens in winter and can become chronic if left untreated.

“Dry eye disease occurs when the balance of the tear film, which protects the surface of the eye from drying out, is disrupted. Either fewer tears are produced, or they evaporate too quickly, leaving the eye unprotected,” explains Radan Zugar, MD, Chief Doctor of Oční centrum Praha, and adds: “Patients describe not only dryness but also burning, stinging, a gritty feeling, or intermittent blurred vision. In more advanced cases, the surface of the cornea may become damaged.”

Overheated rooms harm the eyes

In living spaces, heating is the main culprit. As soon as the heating season begins, indoor humidity drops quickly and the environment becomes dry. The tear film that protects the eye’s surface is easily disrupted in these conditions, and symptoms tend to worsen especially in the evening when people spend more time in closed, heated rooms.

“Dry air from heating acts much like wind—it accelerates the evaporation of tears. The eyes may then burn, sting, or water excessively as they try to compensate for the dryness,” warns MD Zugar.

Other risk factors: 

• In winter we spend more time in front of screens - when looking at a monitor or TV, we blink about half as often as usual, so the tear film is not renewed frequently enough. The combination of dry heated air and reduced blinking is highly taxing for the eyes.
• Sudden transitions from cold to warmth - the eyes react to temperature changes with irritation, and dry air from heating or air conditioning in shopping centres further dries their surface.
• Wearing contact lenses - lenses dry out more quickly in low humidity, may irritate the cornea, and increase the feeling of a foreign body in the eye.

Fresh air helps, but wind irritates

Being outdoors has its pros and cons. Fresh air is healthy, but frost and icy wind irritate the eyes. Cold air contains less moisture, which puts additional strain on the tear film. Wind further accelerates tear evaporation, and the eyes respond with reflex tearing. This creates a vicious cycle: alternating between freezing weather and overheated rooms leads to fluctuations the eyes struggle to adapt to.

How to relieve your eyes in winter

The foundation is hydration—from the outside and the inside. Drinking enough water helps maintain proper tear film moisture, even though we often feel less thirsty in winter than in summer.

Simple steps that help:

• Ventilate regularly and aim to keep indoor humidity at around 40%. A humidifier, indoor plants, or a damp towel placed on the radiator can be helpful.
• Give your eyes regular breaks. When working at a computer, follow the 20–20–20 rule: every 20 minutes, look at something at least 20 feet (6 metres) away for 20 seconds.
• Blink consciously. It helps renew the tear film and prevents irritation.
• Use artificial tears, which create a gentle moisturizing layer on the eye’s surface, restore its protective function, and relieve burning and foreign body sensations.
• Apply warm compresses to the eyelids. They support the proper function of the glands that produce the oily component of tears and prevent them from evaporating too quickly.

“If symptoms of dryness persist or vision begins to worsen, it’s important to see an eye doctor. With modern examinations—such as measuring tear film quality—we can accurately identify the cause of the problem and set up an individualized treatment plan. Untreated dry eye disease can lead to corneal damage, recurrent inflammation, and long-term deterioration of visual quality,” concludes MD Zugar.

The eyes are sensitive organs and react very quickly to changes in the environment. That’s why it’s important to notice the first signs of dryness and not underestimate them.