Did you know that many of the eye irritations you experience are allergic in nature? The eye and eyelid is a very common site of allergic reactions. This is because the skin around the eyes is extremely thin and is very sensitive to irritants such as pollen, detergents and cosmetics. Even if you touch something you are not allergic to and then touch your eye you may have a reaction to that object which may cause irritation sometime later.
Most ocular allergic responses occur seasonally, late spring, early fall or early spring when pollen counts are at the highest. This type of reaction is common in patients that already suffer from asthma, eczema, allergic rhinitis or hay fever. Symptoms include itching, burning, red, and white ropey discharge. This is the most common type of allergic response. You may also suffer from swollen or puffy morning eyes with redness surrounding your eyes
The best treatment for any allergy is to remove the offending agent or remove you from the environment, but this is just unrealistic. If you are an allergy sufferer, most likely you are taking an oral antihistamine or a nasal spray. These will not help those itchy red eyes. Over-the-counter eye drops provide very little anti-allergy benefit to the eyes and may serve only to provide a temporary whitening of the eyes. They do not battle the allergic reaction itself.
After all the rains this season those flowers are blooming and the predicted pollen counts are going to be extremely high. If you are experiencing red, itchy, watery eyes make an appointment with your eye-care practitioner to get the proper treatment and relief for those eyes.
For more information, please call Dr. Joshua Corben at 661-259-2168 or visit www.corbenoptometry.com .