Blaine Eye Clinic

Archive for May, 2009

Are you experiencing itchy, red eyes due to allergies? Get relief NOW.

Tuesday, May 12th, 2009

Spring is here. Along with the promise of summer around the corner comes seasonal allergies for many. Often, allergies can affect our eyes. If you note itching and redness of your eyes, you may be experiencing something called allergic conjunctivitis. If you are a contact lens wearer, you may find it difficult to wear your lenses comfortably. Most patients with allergies will also have some nasal symptoms (congestion). This year, it seems that a lot of our patients are experiencing sinus difficulties as well.

There are various things that can be done to keep your eyes more comfortable during allergy season. Sometimes the allergy medication your physician prescribes will actually help relieve some of your ocular discomfort. If it isn't helping, we recommend doing an eye wash at night before bedtime. You simply pick up eye wash at your drugstore and gently rinse the eyes out. The wonderful thing about this idea is that you are actually ridding the body of any allergens that may have found their way into your eyes. Otherwise, you will sleep with the pollen, etc., that has accumulated in the eyes during the day; you will wake up with red, itchy eyes. Another home remedy is using over the counter eye drops such as Simulayson II for allergies or Alaway. Eye drops to avoid using without an eye doctor’s recommendation would be anything that ends in an"-A". These drops tend to constrict the blood vessels: this can affect blood pressure and may be harmful to your eyes if you are at risk for a certain type of glaucoma.

If the home remedies aren’t working or if you aren't really sure if you have allergic conjunctivitis, be sure to make an appointment with one of our eye doctors. Also, discontinue contact lens wear. If we find that you do have this condition, we can also prescribe an excellent medication called Pataday which works very well for most patients. We will also rule out other more serious causes of red eye. We will refer you to your physician if you have symptoms of sinus problems.

We want you to enjoy your spring, so please let us know if you need help with your eyes during your seasonal allergies. Simply call our clinic at 763.757.7000 to make an appointment.