An Allergy Season Survival Guide For Your Eyes

Spring is wonderful, isn’t it? The weather warms up, the days stretch out, and flowers bloom. However, spring also marks the beginning of allergy season!

The American College of Allergy, Asthma And Immunology estimates that 50 million Americans suffer from seasonal allergies.

How Do Spring Allergies Affect Our Eyes?

Our eyes are incredibly sensitive, and particularly susceptible to airborne allergens like pollen. You might find yourself experiencing:

• Itching
• Redness
• Tearing
• Inflammation

Allergies, though miserable, typically will not cause any lasting damage to our eyes. However, there can be risk of corneal scratching and infection when dry eyes coincide with frequent rubbing and inflammation.

Tips To Help You Survive Allergy Season

Fortunately, for most of us, allergies are fairly manageable. You may need to find a medication that works for you, or take measures to avoid your primary allergens. Here are a few other tricks:

• Eat foods with natural antihistamine properties. This includes those high in Vitamin C, quercetin (a bioflavonoid found in tea, onions, apples and lettuce), and omega 3 fatty acids.
• Use artificial tears to wash out allergens. Keeping our eyes clean can clear the allergic reaction. It helps to also frequently clean hands, face, and clothing.
• Apply cold compresses to your eyes to decrease swelling and itchiness.
• Remove contacts when allergies get bad. Allergens can get trapped in between contacts and the surface of your eye, increasing irritation.
• Replace the air filters in your home to ensure that clean air is circulating.

Is Spring Driving Your Eyes Crazy? Let’s Talk

There are treatment options available to help manage the symptoms. If you or someone in your family suffers from spring allergies, contact a Vision Source practice today! We’d love to help you manage those allergies so you can actually enjoy the beautiful spring weather.

You can find a Vision Source practice near you using our search tool. 

Top image by Flickr user mcfarlandmo used under Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 4.0 license. Image cropped and modified from original.