Allergy Season and Your Eyes: Simple Strategies for Comfort and Vision Health

When spring and summer roll around, it is great to be outside. But for many of us, this fun time brings miserable eye allergies! You know the feeling: itching, watering, redness, and that constant urge to rub your eyes.

When your eyes react to things like pollen or dust, it is because your immune system is overreacting. The best way to manage this is simple: avoid what makes you sick, stop rubbing your eyes, and use soothing eye drops.

Step 1: Keep Allergens Away

The number one rule for comfortable eyes is to limit how often you touch the stuff that makes you allergic.

Watch the Weather: Check local reports for the pollen count every day. If the levels are high, which often happens in the mid-morning and early evening, try to stay inside during those times.
Close the Windows: Use the air conditioning in your house and your car. This filters the air. Opening windows invites pollen and dust inside, where they can bother you all day long.
Wear Sunglasses: When you go outside, put on sunglasses. They act like a shield, blocking airborne pollen and dust from hitting your eyes. Wraparound styles offer the best protection.
Clean Up Indoors: Use an air purifier with a special HEPA filter at home. Also, use a dehumidifier in damp areas, such as the basement, to prevent mold growth.
Shower Off: After spending time outside, wash your face, hair, and hands. This washes away any pollen stuck to you. Also, wash your bedding in hot water often.

Step 2: Soothe and Treat the Symptoms

If allergens manage to reach your eyes, you need simple ways to find quick comfort and stop the symptoms from getting worse.

Here are the best ways to get relief fast:

Do Not Rub Your Eyes: This is the golden rule! Rubbing feels good for a second, but it just makes things worse. It irritates your eyes further and causes your body to release more histamine, which intensifies the itching and swelling.
Use Cold Compresses: Apply a clean, cool compress or a cold, damp washcloth over your closed eyes. The freezing temperature quickly constricts blood vessels, reducing puffiness and stopping itching.
Rinse with Artificial Tears: Use simple, preservative-free lubricating eye drops often. These drops work like a mini-shower, washing away the allergens and adding needed moisture. Tip: Keep the drops in the fridge for extra soothing comfort!
Think About Medications: Over-the-counter antihistamine eye drops can quickly stop the itching and redness. If your symptoms are really bad, talk to your eye doctor or allergist about stronger prescription options or allergy shots.

If You Wear Contact Lenses

If you wear contacts, allergy season can be extra rough. Allergens love to stick to your lenses, prolonging the irritation.

Give your eyes a break and wear your glasses during the worst pollen days. Another great option is to switch to daily disposable lenses. You throw these away at the end of the day, so you always start fresh, free of stuck-on pollen.

If home remedies are not helping, or if you feel pain, your eyes swell up a lot, or your vision changes, you must see an eye doctor right away. Do not wait!

For more on the allergy season and your eyes, visit Colonial River Eye Care at our Midlothian, Virginia, office. Call (804) 794-4080 to book an appointment today.

https://acaai.org/allergies/allergic-conditions/eye-allergy/

https://www.theeyedoctors.net/eye-care-resources/how-to-treat-eye-allergies