The Best Humidifiers for Dry Eyes – Complete Buyer’s Guide

During the winter, you may have experienced the unease of a croup cough, cold, or other difficulties that wake you up in the middle of the night and make your days long and miserable. One of the primary signs that come with the cold season is dry skin and dry eyes. Everyone is familiar with that well-known burning sensation that comes from itching, fatigued, or sore eyes.

These symptoms are constant and can cause some real discomfort including photophobia or blurred vision. One of the best ways to combat this issue is by using the best humidifiers for dry eyes.

Dry eyes are very common and dry eye syndrome is one of the major reasons why most people visit the eye doctor. From a Gallup poll taken in 2012, it was reported that more than 26 million Americans suffer from dry eyes, which could increase to as much as a million in the next ten years. For this reason, dry eyes symptoms should be taken seriously and remedied immediately. To help people remedy this serious problem, we have come up with a list of best humidifiers for dry eyes.

If you have a normal functioning eye, there will be a consistent layer of tears on the eye’s surface, which keeps the eye healthy, comfortable, and working well. Tears keep the eyes moist and wash away dust, small particles, and microorganisms that could cause damages or eye infection. If there is a problem with the tear source or you have an insufficient level of tears, it can cause dry eyes. Dry air ensures that the tear in the eye evaporates quickly leading to a dry eye.

Dry eyes and the environment work hand in hand. This means that before the symptoms of dry eyes start to manifest, the humidity level would have to be low in your room, office, bedroom, or any other places that you are in and out of frequently.

Top Desktop Humidifiers for Dry Eyes

1) Honeywell cool Moisture Console Humidifier

Special features: large water tank, evaporative cool mist technology, product dimensions; 21 x 13 x 17.5 inches, two separate water tanks with wide top openings, wick filter, item weight: 19.95 pounds.

Featuring a large capacity, the Honeywell Cool Moisture Console Humidifier comes with two separate water tanks that each have a 1.5-gallon capacity giving you a total 3-gallon humidifier. With this capacity water tank, the Humidifier is able to give you a runtime of up to 24 hours on the lowest setting, so you don’t have to refill it as frequently. When it is time to refill it, the unit has an easy open and top action design with pretty large openings in the water tanks.

The Honeywell Cool Moisture Console Humidifier also uses a wick filter to absorb water that is to be mystified. During that process, the humidifier filters out impurities that could contaminate the atmosphere if they get mystified as well. There is also a programmable humidistat that lets you program the device to maintain a specific humidity level.

With the auto-shutoff feature, you have peace of mind that the machine will turn itself off if the water dries up in the tank. The unit will never fail to turn off automatically for safety reasons. Using this device is pretty easy thanks to its many features and it’s easy to clean and maintain design. This is a pretty quiet humidifier when operating at its lowest setting, but it does become noisier on higher levels. It is the perfect sized humidifier for a large-sized room of up to 1000 square feet, plus it comes with a three-year limited warranty.

2) Boneco Warm or Cool Mist 7174 Ultrasonic Humidifier

Special features: digital display, programmable hygrostat, item weight; 9 pounds, demineralization crystal (purchased separately), hydro cell (purchased separately), EZ cleaner and descaler (purchased separately).

Built with the user experience in mind, the design of the Boneco 7174 Ultrasonic Humidifier was created for a customer’s satisfaction. With a digital display found on the top side, you can easily see the immediate humidity levels of the environment at all times. You also get a programmable hygrostat for those that prefer to have their rooms set to a specific moisture content.

Unlike the Honeywell Cool Moisture Console Humidifier, the Boneco carries a 1.5-gallon tank size, but it isn’t split in half. The 1.5-gallon single tank of the Humidifier gives you a runtime of up to 24 hours on the lowest setting, and less time, of course, on the higher settings. This machine is also pretty quiet during operation and comes with a three-year warranty.

The auto mode is a distinctive feature of this humidifier allowing it to run without constant input from the user. It will run automatically balancing humidity levels of the room across a safe range once it is activated.

For more sensitive individuals, and those who are easily susceptible to dirt, you can purchase extra filters to take the water through certain treatment levels to provide a cleaner mist. These filters include demineralization crystals that will remove mineral contents while avoiding white dust problems. They can also include the hydro cell, EZ cleaner, and descaler to further remove dirt and scaled compositions in the water and tank. Typically, the EZ cleaner and descaler are used during major maintenance.

3) Boneco U200 Cool Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier

Special features: Red dot design award winner, aromatherapy, hydro cell, demineralization cartridge, led night light, item weight 3.97 pounds, certified frustration-free.

With a pretty impressive mist output rate of 1.8 gallons per day, the Boneco U200 Cool Mist Ultrasonic Humidifier will do a decent job in keeping your humidity levels up. Suitable for small to mediums sized rooms, this humidifier works well in areas up to 430 square feet. It comes with a small tank size, only about one-gallon in capacity, which can be seen as a drawback to the qualities it offers and the features it possesses.

In comparison to other humidifiers on the market, the use of aromatherapy is a standout feature. With a tray on the side, this humidifier allows you to add essential oils and other fragrances along with the mist that is released into the atmosphere. This is a certified frustration-free humidifier meaning that this unit is easy to handle and clean for proper maintenance.

While operating, the sound produced is next to nothing, which is a great feature for light sleepers. It also comes with a water refill indicator that shows you when the water level is low and a three-year warranty making it a really good value for the price.

4) Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier

Special Features: Filter free, anti bacteria and extremely efficient for medium sized room, product dimensions; 12 x 7.9 x 14.2 inches, item weight; 4.25 pounds, night light, medicine cup.

The Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier is filter-free and comes with a transparent water tank allowing you to easily monitor the water level. It is more prone to mineral buildup thanks to the lack of filters, but that also means that you will be spending less money on operating costs. Due to the lack of filters, this unit works best when used with distilled water.

Thanks to the handle that is fitted on the side, the Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier allows you to carry it around easily with a good grip preventing the body from being slippery when it is wet. This lightweight unit is also easy to move and refill. However, it does work best in a small-sized room, since it doesn’t make a big difference in the humidity level in a larger room.

With the included medicine cup, the Vicks Warm Mist Humidifier can turn the water and an herbal mixture into steam you can use for therapeutic reasons. It is suitable for small spaces, which is a major disadvantage if you need to use it in large room. It also has a short runtime of only about 12 hours after a refill. The included night light providing a soothing glow throughout the night, but you can turn it off depending on your preferences.

Does a humidifier help dry eyes?

After reading this far, if you are still wondering if “humidifier help dry eyes” the answer to that is YES, it helps.

To alleviate your dry eye symptoms, medical practitioners recommend you use a humidifier. This is because most humidifiers for dry eye treatment add some amount of moisture in the air. While the moisture in the air is often at a moderate level, some people that suffer from dry eye syndrome find that the tears that keep their eyes wet evaporate faster for them than other people. This is where the need for a humidifier mist comes in.

Qualities to consider before choosing the best humidifier for dry eye syndrome

Size: This is one of the major factors to consider before purchasing a humidifier for dry eyes. The impact of the humidifier must be considerably high in order for it to work well in restoring moisture to the eyes. With that in mind, you wouldn’t expect a miniature size humidifier to efficiently raise the humidity level of the whole house, would you? The larger the humidifier, the more area it will cover.

Noise level: Some humidifiers will release noise during operation, which can be a source of disturbance, particularly at night. If you can sleep through a rock concert that’s fine, but for those that are disturbed by a pin drop while you sleep, you should choose a product that operates very quietly.

Size of water tank: Filling the water tank frequently during the day can become a burden if you are busy with other activities. This is why we recommend you purchase a humidifier with a large water capacity that can keep the atmosphere moist throughout the day and won’t require that you check the water levels constantly.

Efficiency/performance: This has to do with the effectiveness of the humidifier you are buying as well as the durability after using it for a while. You don’t want to choose a humidifier that performs below your level of expectations. In most cases, the efficiency of any humidifying unit depends on the size of the unit as well as the size of the water tank. Durability will depend on the body construction and design. Some humidifiers have the potential to effectively run nonstop for 24 hours in a 2300 square foot area while others can only cover 100 square feet.

Ease of use: Whether it is manual or an automatic control, you want to choose a simple to operate unit that won’t stress you out a lot. It’s always best to go for the humidifier that is automatically controlled, but you will find some manually controlled units that are also very easy for anyone to use.

Desktop placement: The use of humidifiers for dry eyes has become more common in the office. Most of the time, dry eye patients often prefer a close-range humidification system that will go directly into their eyes. In this case, it is best to find a desktop humidifier for dry eyes whose impact can be felt at a close range.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is steaming good for dry eyes?

Steaming your eyes does have a moisturizing benefit since it does relieve your eyes from the itching and pain that is caused by dry eye syndrome. Clean and soothing steam released into the eyes has the same impact as a humidifier, and it does raise the moisture content of your eyes for a while. The steam helps to moisturize your eyes allowing tears to flow while also getting rid of eye contaminants. Always remember to use a clean, warm cloth when cleaning your eyes after steaming.

Does drinking water helps dry eyes?

Since lack of moisture is said to be a major cause of dry eyes in the human body, drinking water is technically moisture waiting to happen. Providing your body with enough water surely can help to solve dry eye problems. For some, dry eyes can be a result of a low intake of water and, as a result, not drinking enough water means you aren’t getting enough moisture throughout your whole body, including your eyes. You can remedy this by drinking 6 to 8 glasses of water per day, which could make a huge difference with your dry eye problems.

Final Verdict: Best Humidifiers for Dry eyes

The Honeywell Cool Moisture Console Humidifier is the best among the humidifiers on our list for dry eye syndrome thanks to its efficiency and large mist output. It also features a wick filter that keeps dirt out of the mist and leaves fewer particles in the air protecting your eyes.

The Boneco Warm or Cool Mist 7174 Ultrasonic Humidifier is second on our list thanks to its demineralization cartridge and hydro cell ensuring that the device only puts outs treated water enhancing good health. It can also cover a medium-sized room efficiently.

Important Read:

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