Why Your Eyes Water More in Winter — A Seattle & Renton Guide to Dry Eye Disease

The Great Pacific Northwest Irony

It rains roughly forever here, and yet our eyes feel like the Sahara.

Every November, patients walk into our Seattle and Renton offices with the same story: gritty eyes by 3 p.m., blurry vision that clears when they blink, and (plot twist!) eyes that water constantly. “How can I have dry eye when my eyes won’t stop running?” they ask.

What they are experiencing is dry eye disease — the most misnamed condition in eye care. And during winter, it gets noticeably worse.

What Winter in Western Washington Does to Your Tear Film

Your tears aren’t just water. They’re a three-layer film — oil, water, and mucin — and winter goes after all three:

• Forced-air heat. Your house, your office in downtown Seattle, your car on the I-405 crawl: all pumping dry, heated air directly at your face.
• The dark season. Shorter days mean more screen time, and we blink up to 60% less when we stare at a monitor. Fewer blinks, less tear spread.
• Wind and cold. A walk around The Landing in Renton, a ferry ride across the Sound, or a Saturday at Snoqualmie Pass will strip your tear film faster than you can say “hot cocoa.”
• Holiday everything. Late nights, travel, wood smoke, and pressurized airplane cabins — a full seasonal assault on your eyes.

When the tear film breaks down, the eye surface gets irritated and sends a panic signal to your reflex tear glands. The result? A flood of low-quality, watery tears that spill down your cheeks and do almost nothing to actually protect your eye. Hence the irony: watery eyes are one of the most common signs of dry eye.

You Are Not Alone

Dry eye disease affects at least 16 million Americans, with some estimates pushing undiagnosed cases to 30 million or even 49 million, making it one of the most common ocular surface conditions in the world. If you’ve been quietly blaming your contacts, your age, or your monitor — come get your eyes checked. What you’re dealing with is likely a real, diagnosable, and very treatable medical condition.

The Good News: Two Treatments That Don’t Just Add Moisture

For decades, dry eye care meant one thing: putting something on the eye. Artificial tears help, but they’re a top-up, not a fix. The newest prescription options work differently: they prompt your body to make its own natural tears.

Tryptyr® (acoltremon ophthalmic solution 0.003%)

Approved by the FDA in May 2025, Tryptyr is the first drop of its kind. It activates TRPM8 thermoreceptors — the cold-sensing nerve endings on your cornea — which signal along the trigeminal nerve to switch tear production back on. (A drop that works by talking to your cold receptors, arriving just in time for winter. We appreciate the timing.)

What the evidence shows: In two Phase 3 trials, COMET-2 and COMET-3, involving more than 930 patients randomized to Tryptyr or vehicle, the proportion of patients achieving a clinically meaningful (≥10 mm) increase in natural tear production at Day 14 was 42.6% vs. 8.2% in COMET-2 and 53.2% vs. 14.4% in COMET-3 (P<0.0001 for both). Significant increases in tear production were observed as early as Day 1.

How it’s used: One drop in each eye, twice daily, about 12 hours apart. The most commonly reported side effect in trials was temporary stinging at the moment of instillation.

Tyrvaya® (varenicline solution nasal spray 0.03 mg)

Tyrvaya takes the scenic route: it’s a nasal spray. One spray in each nostril activates a nerve pathway in the nose (the trigeminal parasympathetic pathway) that runs straight to your tear glands. Nothing touches the eye surface at all — which is a genuine relief if your eyes are already too sore for drops, or if you’re mid-mascara.

What the evidence shows: In the ONSET-1 and ONSET-2 trials, 52% and 47% of Tyrvaya-treated patients achieved a ≥10 mm increase in Schirmer’s score at week 4, compared with 14% and 28% of vehicle-treated patients. Mean improvement in Schirmer’s score was 11.7 mm and 11.3 mm, versus 3.2 mm and 6.3 mm with vehicle.

How it’s used: One spray in each nostril, twice daily. The most common side effects are sneezing, cough, and nose or throat irritation — a small price for real tears.

Which One Is Right for You?

That’s exactly what a dry eye evaluation is for. At Cascade Vision Center, we measure your tear production and tear film quality, check your meibomian (oil) glands, and look at the health of your eye surface before recommending anything. Some patients do beautifully with the drops. Some prefer to skip the eye entirely and use the spray. Many benefit from combining a prescription with warm compresses, omega-3s, a humidifier, and a 20-20-20 screen break habit.

Let’s Get You Through Winter Comfortably

Cascade Vision Center serves patients across Seattle and Renton, including Capitol Hill, Ballard, West Seattle, Beacon Hill, the Renton Highlands, Kent, Tukwila, and Newcastle.

Schedule a dry eye evaluation at our Seattle or Renton office. Book online or call one of our offices today:

• Seattle (206) 333-0564
• Renton (425) 235-9911

Your eyes have to get through five more months of this. Let’s make it pleasant.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is dry eye worse in winter in Seattle? For most of our patients, yes. Rain raises outdoor humidity, but indoor heating, car defrosters, wind exposure, and increased screen time during dark months all reduce tear film stability.

Can I just use artificial tears? They help temporarily. They don’t address the underlying inflammation or reduced tear production, which is why prescription therapy exists.

Are watery eyes a sign of dry eye? Frequently. A dry, irritated ocular surface can trigger reflex tearing — poor-quality tears that spill over instead of coating the eye.

Does insurance cover Tryptyr or Tyrvaya? Coverage varies by plan. Many plans require documentation of dry eye testing and a trial of over-the-counter lubricants first. Our team will help you check benefits and find available manufacturer savings programs.