Eye Allergies: A Guide To Taking Care of Your Eyes

Eye allergies are often hereditary. They can go on to trigger other problems such as pink eye or asthma. In fact, findings indicate that allergy sufferers also usually experience allergic conjunctivitis. Dust which are normally harmless to the average person, usually affects the eye allergy sufferers. An eye allergy sufferer would start to produce an excessive production of tears and mucus in eyes, when exposed to triggers. Common signs of allergies include red and swollen eyes, tearing or itchy eyes, sneezing, coughing, runny nose, itchy nose, mouth, or throat, and headaches from sinus congestion.

Most of the eye allergens do come from the air. These include pollen, mold, dust, and pet dander. Although there can be other causes of allergies, such as triggers from food or insects, they do not affect the eyes the way airborne allergens do.

Bad reactions to cosmetics or drugs may also cause eye allergies. Hence, the best way is to avoid using these items.

Keeping your home free of dust and pet dander are also of great help. It will be a good idea to have the air conditioning on while a lot of pollen is in the air. Air conditioners help to filter out allergens, though the filters must be cleaned often. Sufferers of allergies may also benefit from immunotherapy, in which an allergy specialist injects the person with small amounts of the allergen to help them gradually build up immunity.

Do be aware that there can be advantages and disadvantages with the use of pver the counter and prescription medications to reduce eye allergies. Eye drops are essentially eye washes. They contain one or more active ingredients such as antihistamines, decongestants, or mast cell stabilizers. Antihistamines can help provide instant relief from symptoms caused by airborne allergens, such as itchy, watery eyes, runny nose, and sneezing. Decongestants help to reduce the redness in your eyes by making the blood vessels in the eyes appear smaller, thus lessening the apparent redness. Unfortunately, all these methods of use do not cure the actual cause of the redness as they merely treat the symptoms of eye allergies. In fact, if you become reliant on eye drops, the blood vessels in your eyes can actually get bigger than they were to begin with. Over time, you aggravate your condition of red eyes.

If you suffer from an eye allergy, it is best not to put on contact lens. Airborne allergens can get on the lenses, causing your eyes discomfort and swelling. It is best to wear glasses, to allow your eyes a chance to heal. After the recovery process, if you must, switch to daily disposable contact lenses, which can be discarded nightly. They are more costly but worth the extra care you put in for the sake of a pair of healthy eyes. Disposable contact lenses are are less likely to have irritating deposits build up over time, thus reducing your risk to developing an eye allergy.