Eye Allergy Relief

You may suffer from allergies and this may include eye allergies. If you come into contact with animals--dogs or cats--your eyes can become puffy and itchy. During allergy season, your eyes may water, burn and itch. They also may not look very good when your allergies act up, because they become red and inflamed. There are several avenues of action you can take to alleviate these eye allergy symptoms.

Preventive Treatment

• If you know you suffer from allergies--eye allergies in particular--you can obtain relief before your allergy symptoms begin. On days when you know the pollen count will be high, stay inside if you can. You can visit pollen.com to find out the daily pollen count in your area to help in your efforts to avoid offending pollens.

  If you can't avoid going outside, try to minimize your exposure to the outdoors. If you have to leave your house to drive to work, keep the windows of your car completely closed and use the air conditioner instead of relying on the vent, which brings outdoor air into your car.

  If you are allergic to pets and this allergy affects your eyes, don't allow animals into your house. If you already have an animal in your house, try not to pet him. If you do pet or hold him, wash your hands before you touch your face or eyes. Also change your clothing to something the pet has not touched.

Eye Drops

• If you have not been successful in avoiding allergens, pollens, dust or pet dander, you can pick up eye drops over the counter and use these every few hours to obtain relief. Eye drops may contain a decongestant/vasoconstrictor, antihistamine, or both.

  The eye drops will help to reduce the redness in your eyes and shrink the inflamed blood vessels. If you decide to use over-the-counter eye drops, approach them with caution. These eye drops, if used for more than two to three days at a time, can cause a rebound effect, making swelling and redness last longer.

  If your doctor believes steroid eye drops would help you, he will give you a prescription. He should monitor your use of these eye drops because instilling steroidal eye drops can promote viral growth.

Glasses/Sunglasses

• When you know you are going to run the risk of an allergy attack affecting your eyes, wear sunglasses or your eyeglasses when you do go out. These will prevent pollen from getting into your eyes and provoking an allergy attack.

  If you wear contact lenses, on high-pollen days or on days when it is windy, don't wear your contacts. Stick with your glasses to avoid eye irritation.