I, like most of my patients, suffer from significant pollen allergy symptoms. But unlike many people with hay fever, who have sneezing, nasal congestion and a stuffy nose, I tend to get mostly itchy eyes. When the outdoor pollen counts are high, I feel it most in my eyes. My eyes itchy at the corners, sometimes sting and burn, and are often red. Rubbing them makes the symptoms worse. So, I tend to use various medications to treat my eye allergies, which include allergy eye drops and oral antihistamines.
What works best for itchy eyes? It depends on who you are -- there is no "one size fits all" therapy. Often, treatment starts with the use of cold compresses and artificial tears to wash out the pollen. I find that keeping the artificial tears in the fridge before use adds results in immediate soothing. Medicated allergy eye drops, including over-the-counter and prescription forms work well for many people, but leave nasal symptoms untreated. Lastly, oral antihistamines work well for the treatment of both eye and nasal allergy symptoms, and are also available in many over-the-counter versions.
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