For those who experience persistent reactions and side effects from seasonal allergies, it’s important to know how to help relieve your irritated eyes. Visiting an eye doctor such as The Woodlands Eye Doctor is always a good idea when dealing with eye issues – but here are eight tips to protect your eyes during allergy season and prevent allergic reactions from causing any further discomfort.
1. Know What Causes Your Allergic Reaction
The first step in protecting your eyes begins with knowing the exact symptoms you have when exposed to an allergen. Common symptoms may occur in the form of red, itchy, watery, sensitive and swollen eyes. But when you begin to experience any side effects you should take precautions to avoid further complications. There’s a good reason, “knowing is half the battle,” is such a popular statement, simply because you should avoid overexposure to the causes of your allergic reaction as much as possible.
2. Irritation Relief Eye Drops
Everyone experiences allergies differently. Some may only have slight irritation while others may have more aggressive symptoms. No matter the severity, there are forms of immediate, but not long-term, relief readily available at just about every drug store. Having over-the-counter eye drops on you at all times, or in your medicine cabinet, is a valuable asset to have throughout the allergy season. Antihistamine drops lessen the intensity of your eye’s allergic reaction by eliminating any redness or incessant itch. If OTC options aren’t working for you, your doctor can usually prescribe stronger methods of relief for you.
3. Daily Allergy Medication
Daily allergy medications are also a great preventative measure to combat seasonal allergies. These tiny pills offer a counter to allergens taking their full effect on your eyes and body as a whole. Since the antihistamine is already actively working within your body, reactions won’t be as intense.
4. Check Daily Pollen Counts
Checking the daily levels of pollen won’t necessarily prevent an allergic reaction from occurring, however, it will help you plan for the day ahead. If the counts are particularly high on a day you wake up, you may want to make it a point to shower at the end of the day, take your allergy medication and always have your eye drops handy.
5. Shower Before Bed
Showering is the single most effective way to wash away anything that has clung on to your body. Unfortunately, tiny particles of your least favorite allergens can get into your eyes and cause irritation even while you’re sleeping. To avoid waking up with irritated eyes, shower before bed to remove everything you’re allergic too.
6. Purify the Air
Buying an air purifier is another great measure to help protect your eyes during allergy season. The machine is essentially an allergen filter than sucks in all of the surrounding air of a home or room and releases it clean and purified. Allergens will get trapped by the filter and won’t be able to circulate in your space any longer.
7. Wear More Sunglasses
Yes, sunglasses are one of the first lines of defense from the sun, but did you know they help with allergy eye relief? Wearing sunglasses during allergy season outside, performs just the same as protective goggles when using a chainsaw. You don’t want chips and dust flying into your eyes, so why would you want pollen, dust and other allergens there as well? A pair of sunglasses will shield your eyes from the full effect of your allergies while helping with irritation from light sensitivity – and even dry eye disease – at the same time. Break out your favorite pair to see the difference!
8. Learn More about Eye Allergies
Learning as much as you can about your eye allergies will provide the necessary knowledge on how to minimize irritation. By scheduling an appointment with your eye doctor, he or she can perform an allergy skin test to analyze which allergies are affecting you the most. You’ll learn the exact cause of eye allergies and how it directly applies to you. After this exam, they’ll sit with you to determine the best eye allergy relief method available and if there are any eye-related procedures and treatments to promote the highest level of comfort during the season.
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