Hay Fever Treatment for your Eyes
The transition from the short day, cold, wet, winter months to the longer day, warmer, drier spring and summer months brings not only a wealth of sunshine, but also a large variety of grass and tree pollens. As many individuals know too well, these pollens can trigger allergies, and when this happens we know that hay fever season is back.
Hay Fever Symptoms
Many of us are already very familiar with the general symptoms of hay fever, which include:
Hay Fever and the Eyes: Symptoms and Signs
As well as affecting our noses and throats, hay fever can affect our eyes. In fact when it comes to hay fever season, some people find their main issue is with their eyes.
Let’s see more in detail the symptoms caused by hay fever when it comes to your eyes. These include:
Hay Fever Eye Treatment
There are numerous over-the-counter options for hay fever treatment. Even though these cannot permanently relieve hay fever symptoms, they are still a very helpful temporary solution.
Hay fever treatment usually include antihistamine syrups and tablets for general symptom relief, hay fever eye drops that target the typical symptoms of eye discomfort, itching, irritation, etc. to help alleviate them, and nasal sprays to help target nasal issues.
Should you find that over-the-counter hay fever treatment is not offering relief, then contact your GP who may be able to prescribe an alternative treatment that will work better for you.
Eye Drops for Hay Fever
Hay fever eye drops target the allergic response the eye has to the allergen it is exposed to (in this case pollen). There are two main types of eye drops available, which interact in different ways with our antibodies to alleviate the symptoms of hay fever for a short while (few hours in most cases). These are antihistamine drops and mast cell stabilizers.
Alongside the use of these specific drugs, the use of eye drops for dry eyes, such as Thealoz Duo and Hycosan Extra also helps provide some temporary relief to irritation and dryness caused by hay fever and are sometimes sufficient in providing relief in most cases.
Contact Lenses and Hay fever
Hay fever season can be a tricky time for those who wear contact lenses as symptoms can be worse.
If you use monthly contact lenses, it is advisable to consider switching to dailies. This is because pollen can attach to the lens surface and it might stick to your lenses even if you regularly clean them. With daily contact lenses this is not an issue anymore, as you wear a new pair everyday.
We also recommend not to use any hay fever-specific eye drops with your contact lenses in, especially if you bought them with medical prescription. If you use dry eye drops, make sure they are contact lenses friendly and preservative-free, and they will surely offer some temporary relief.
Lastly, consider wearing your glasses more often in hay fever season especially if you find that your eyes are very irritated with contact lenses in.
If you have any queries or questions in regards to contact lenses and hay fever, please call us or come in-store and a member of staff will be happy to assist you.
Hay fever and the Eyes: our Top Tips
To summarise our recommendations, we have compiled a list of the DO’S and DON’TS during hay fever season to help preserve your eye health.
DO’S
DON'TS
Find the right hay fever treatment for your eyes
If you are looking for hay fever treatment for your eyes, please feel free to visit your local Eye Emporium store and our staff will help you find the right remedy for your symptoms.
- Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh.
- Press the space key then arrow keys to make a selection.