Combating Eye Allergies

March 10, 2014 by coavision
   
It’s that time when we spring ahead and lose one hour of precious sleep.  As we set our clocks forward, we should also keep in mind that spring is literally just a few weeks away.  Many of our trees start branching out and flowers start blooming in magnificent colors.  As an allergy sufferer, I view spring as a time of burgeoning new life on one hand and of the dreaded allergies on the other.

For my patients with known seasonal eye allergies, I pre-treat them with anti-allergy eye drops from a class of medication called mast cell stabilizers.  In an ideal world, I like to initiate the anti-allergy therapy about one month before the time that their allergies would have set in.  Mast cell stabilizers work by preventing the body from releasing histamines from mast cells that cause the itchy, watery, red, puffy irritated eyes.  For those patients that have a new onset of eye allergies, immediate relief is what they are probably looking for so I turn to my combo medications that contain both antihistamines and mast cell stabilizers. Antihistamines as the name denotes, blocks histamines from attaching to key sites and activating the course of allergies.

Here are some helpful tips I share with all my patients:

• Apply cold compresses on top of closed eyelids. This will shrink down blood vessels and limit the circulation of histamines that cause itching and other eye symptoms.
• If you are a contact lens patient, clean your contacts well. You may want to switch to daily disposables to reduce pollen accumulation. Use anti-allergy eye drops that require once a day instillation. Wear glasses if the allergy is bothersome.
• Wash your hair at night to eliminate all the pollen that collected during the day and to prevent coming into contact on the pillow while sleeping.
• If you own a pet, bathe him more frequently to reduce pollen that is stuck on him. Best to keep your pet strictly indoors or outdoors to prevent transporting pollen into the house and on you.
• Avoid drying clothes or bed sheets naturally outdoors as the pollen can adhere to these items.
• Plan outdoor activities early in the morning and late in the evening as the pollen count is the lowest at these times.
• Pick vacation spots that have low pollen counts such as the beach.
• Get your daily pollen forecast on www.pollen.com. See what is floating around in your neighborhood or place of work.

As a “seasoned” (no pun intended) allergy sufferer, I am ready to combat the upcoming 2014 allergy season.  Are you?  Please make sure you plan ahead and make an appointment with your optometrist.

~Judy Tong, OD, FAAO
California Optometric Association
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