Your eyes are delicate parts of your body that can easily become damaged if you aren't careful. This is especially important to keep in mind during allergy season, when your eyes, nose and throat can become severely affected by pollen and other ubiquitous irritants.
"The most common symptoms that seasonal allergy patients endure [in their eyes] are redness, blurred vision, tearing, itching and, sometimes, a watery-like discharge," states The Daily Astorian. "These symptoms occur when an allergen, such as pollen, initiates a chain of events called a 'hypersensitivity reaction.' This causes a release of chemicals like histamine, which leads to itching, redness and inflammation."
Here are some tips that will help keep your eyes comfortable during allergy season:
Use eye drops – Taking antihistamines can alleviate runny and stuffy noses, but these treatments are known to cause dryness in your eyes. Talk to your allergy specialist about the best eye drops you can use to counteract this side effect.
Wear contact lenses less frequently – Allergens can bind to the actual lens, causing your eye to become irritated. With this in mind, it's important to take your contacts out when you go to bed, change them often and clean them thoroughly. If you have glasses to wear, it's not a bad idea to use these in place of contacts while allergies are at their worst.
There are additional ways that allergy sufferers can limit their symptoms around the house and maintain a comfortable quality of life in spite of this affliction. By purchasing products such as a whole house air purifier and allergy bedding, you can reduce the amount of allergens that have access to your body while you sleep at night.
