Should You Worry About Your Itchy Watery Eyes
One of the easiest ways to tell the difference between allergy and coronavirus symptoms is to check your eyes. If they are red, watery and itchy, these are probably signs of allergies. Coronavirus symptoms generally do not cause those uncomfortable itchy, watery eyes.
An important distinction between seasonal allergy symptoms and coronavirus symptoms is having a fever. People experiencing Allergies do not have fever as a symptom, while coronavirus patients often do.
Treating Your Own Eye Allergies
Get off to a good start by avoiding whatever youâre allergic to. You can also try these tips:
Minimize clutter where allergens can collect. Limit pillows, bedding, draperies, and other linens, such as dust ruffles and canopies. Also, keep knick-knacks to a minimum, since they can collect dust.
Go with as little carpeting as possible. The carpet can harbor dust mites.
Clean regularly and thoroughly. Thatâll help limit dust and mold.
Get rid of any water leaks and standing water. Both encourage mold growth.
Use barriers and filters. Shield mattresses and pillows with covers that block allergens. Use allergen filters in both the furnace and the air conditioner in your home. Also, be sure to change them regularly. Keep outdoor allergens outdoors by keeping windows and doors closed.
Unfortunately, it’s not always easy or possible to avoid the things that trigger your allergies. If that’s the case for you, these at-home treatments may give you some relief:
Apply cool compresses to your eyes to ease the allergic reaction.
Use artificial tears or lubricating eye drops.
Use over-the-counter medications, like allergy eye drops and oral antihistamines for mild allergies.
Try not to rub your eyes, since that can make your symptoms worse.
Best Eye Drops For Itchy Eyes
What are the best brands for this condition? You may need to rely on the information was given to potential causes of eyes becoming itchy. Another important fact is how long you use drugs to treat various eye problems. We shall bring to light both prescription and non-prescription or OTCs over the counter drops, examples, and other medicine-related issues.
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When To Get Medical Care
Your symptoms should improve on their own if you know what youâre allergic to and you can avoid it.
But if you donât know what causes your allergy, skin testing by an allergist can help figure it out.
If you still donât know or you canât avoid the cause, a doctor who specializes in eye care and surgery — an ophthalmologist or optometrist — may be able to help.
If you have seasonal allergies, make an appointment with them prior to your allergic season. This will let you start treatment before your symptoms kick in.
If you have perennial allergies, routine appointments may be helpful. Occasional flare-ups may mean you need to see them more often. It might also help to get a consultation with an allergist.
Allergy Shots Are A Treatment Option
Allergy shots, or immunotherapy, are a series of injections to improve an individual’s tolerance to allergens. The treatment helps the immune system be less sensitized to allergens and it may help with eye allergies. At first, small amounts of the offending allergens are injected into an allergy sufferer. As treatment proceeds, increasing amounts of the allergens are injected. Treatment usually lasts several months. People who have severe allergies may be the most likely to benefit from allergy shots. The treatment may not provide complete relief and you may still need to rely on medications to keep your chronic allergy symptoms in check.
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Relieve Itchy Eyes With These Top Picks
Sarah is a freelance writer with a focus on health and wellness. She has written for publications like Women’s Health, Healthline, and Parents. She taught creative writing for five years, and has a bachelor’s degree in English from Southern Connecticut State University.
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Verywell / Chloe Jeong
When you hear the words seasonal allergies, you probably think of nasal symptoms like sniffling and sneezing. But dont forget about your eyes: theyre susceptible to environmental allergens, too, and can itch, burn, water, and turn red at the drop of a hat .
Plus, pollen isnt the only offenderpet dander, dust, ragweed, and grass can also cause your eyes to have an allergic reaction. Common OTC allergy medications may help, but according to University of Missouri Health Care allergist Christine Franzese, MD, eye allergy symptoms are some of the hardest ones to treat.
Oral antihistamines will help with eye symptoms about 50% of the time and nasal steroid sprays, like fluticasone, will help 60% of the time, she says. So there will be patients where other medications arent helping or arent helping enough.
Allergy Medications For Eyes
Over-the-counter and prescription medications can give short-term relief of some eye allergy symptoms. Prescription treatments can provide both short- and long-term help.
Sterile saline rinses and eye lubricants can soothe irritated eyes and help flush out allergens.
eye drops can curb eye redness by constricting blood vessels in the eyes. These drops tend to sting a bit, and they donât relieve all symptoms. Whatâs more, their effect tends to be short-lived. If you use them for more than a few days, it can cause ”rebound” eye redness.
eye drops containing ketotifen can ease allergy symptoms for up to 12 hours. They wonât cause rebound redness even with long-term use.
Refrigerating your eye drops may bring more relief.
In addition to red, itchy eyes from allergies, many people also have other symptoms, like a stuffy, runny nose. If you do, nasal steroid sprays can help your eyes and nose. Over-the-counter options include Flonase, Rhinocort, and Nasacort. Several others are also available with a doctor’s prescription.
Oral antihistamines can also help. Cetirizine and loratadine tend to be less sedating than some older drugs, and they provide longer-lasting relief. Keep in mind, though, that oral antihistamines do dry the eyes and can make a dry eye condition worse.
If you need more help, a doctor can prescribe other eye drops. For severe or persistent cases, immunotherapy can also help.
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Use An External Eyewash With Turmeric
Curcumin, a compound present in turmeric, has anti-inflammatory effects and can inhibit the release of histamine from mast cells.4 Animal studies have found that this compound can suppress eye allergies.5
Try this simple ayurvedic remedy for your eye allergy: Mix in ½ teaspoon of turmeric powder into ¼ cup of distilled clean warm water and use the solution to clean eyelid and your outer eye. Add this flavorsome spice to soups and curries or have a cup of turmeric tea to fight inflammation from within.6
How Are Itchy Eyes Treated
It is important to see your pharmacist or optometrist to work out the cause of your itchy eyes.
Itching caused by an allergy can be helped with antihistamine or anti-inflammatory eye drops. It can help to use artificial tears to wash away any allergens on the surface of your eye. Sometimes you may need to take an oral antihistamine.
If you have something in your eye, try to wash it out with warm water or a saline solution. If that doesnt work, you should see a doctor within 24 hours.
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Tips For Avoiding Eye Allergy
avoid eye allergies through some simple tips and methods. especially in the summer and spring, when eye diseases are frequent, so you can follow these tips to avoid infection, such as:
How To Treat Red Eyes
It may be possible to treat mild cases of red eyes caused by irritation or passing allergies with home remedies. You may rid yourself of red eyes with the following:
- Place a cool washcloth on your closed lids once or twice a day.
- Avoid anything that irritates your eyes and may trigger redness, such as smoke, allergens, pet dander, and chlorine.
- Apply artificial tears up to four times a day. These can rinse away allergens and soothe irritation.
- Relieve allergy-related eye itching with over-the-counter antihistamine eye drops.
- Avoid touching your eyes with your fingers unless you have just washed your hands.
But if symptoms persist for more than a week, this may signal that you have an infection, which needs to be treated by an ophthalmologist.
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Common Causes And Remedies For Red Eyes
Weve all been there. You look in the mirror and red, irritated eyes look back. If youve got red eyes, you may be concerned, left wondering what caused them.
The caring providers at Benjamin Optical with offices in Harlem, Brooklyn, Staten Island, and Inwood understand. Thats why weve put together this guide on common causes of red eye and what you can do to treat it.
Red, bloodshot eyes are typically called red eye. Eyes turn red and bloodshot when the blood vessels on the surface of the eye dilate. As the blood vessels expand, they make the whites of the eye look pink or red.
Even though many people suffer from red eye occasionally, chronic red eye isnt normal and should be evaluated by an eye doctor. However, many cases dont require medical intervention and can be treated at home.
Below are five common causes and remedies for red eyes.
When To Seek Professional Help
In most cases, eye allergies are irritating but harmless. However, there are some situations in which you should speak to your child’s doctor, including:
- Your child still has itchy eyes after two days of treatment.
- Your child has discharge from one eye or both eyes .
- Your child has a fever.
- Your child’s eyes are nearly swollen shut.
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What Causes Itchy Eyes
The most common cause of itchy eyes is an allergy. Itchy eyes can be triggered by exposure to pollen, animal fur, mould, dust mites, make-up or eye drops. The body reacts to the trigger by releasing histamine, causing the blood vessels in the eye to dilate and irritating the nerve endings so the eyes water. When the eyes get red because of an allergy, it is known as allergic conjunctivitis .
Allergic conjunctivitis is more common at certain times of the year, although you can still have it all year round. It also causes a runny nose, scratchy throat and sneezing.
Other types of allergy can give you itchy eyes. For example, a condition called atopic keratoconjunctivitis produces an inflammation of the surface of the eye because of an allergy to a specific substance. Another condition, vernal keratoconjunctivitis , produces inflammation in the membrane on the surface of the eye. This usually affects young boys.
If you have eczema, a form of dermatitis, around your eyes this too can cause itching.
Other causes of itchy eyes include:
- dry eye syndrome when you do not produce enough of the right kind of tears to keep the surface of your eye moist and comfortable
Mast Cell Stabilizers Otcs And Prescription
We shall look at how mast cell stabilizers work to counter the release of histamine later in the discussion. Samples of OTCs include Claritin and Refresh Eye Itch Relief.
Those prescribed by your doctor such as Cromolyn, Lodoxamide, Alamast, Nedocromil Sodium can be found in drugstores and pharmacist shops.
If you have problems with contacts especially itching, you can go for brands with more than one ingredient. The interesting bit is that they have multiple actions ensuring that they prevent and treat eye problems such as soreness, itchiness, and redness, watering or tearing and burning. Examples are Elestat, Patanol, Zaditor or Alaway.
You must take caution when it comes to duration of application. Most over-the-counter medicines should not be used for more than 3 days. As for many eyedrops, wearing contacts may impossible unless you have been given permission to do so.
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Allergy Medication Can Help
Some medications that you take to treat hay fever, nasal allergies, runny nose, and throat and sinus problems may also help control eye allergies. Antihistamines and decongestants are available in capsule, pill, and liquid forms. Potential side effects of these medications may include dry eyes and drowsiness. Some kinds of decongestants may make you jittery or dizzy. If you have high blood pressure, certain ingredients in allergy medication may not be safe for you. Ask your doctor or pharmacist which medications are safe for you.
Best Overall: Bausch + Lomb Alaway Antihistamine Eye Drops
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Lasts up to 12 hours
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Works quickly
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May sting or burn with application
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Cant be used with contacts
Ketotifen, an antihistamine, is an effective ingredient in eye drops targeted at allergy relief. After all, your eyes respond to allergens the same way the rest of your body does: when they are exposed to a substance that causes an allergic reaction, they produce a chemical called histamines, which causes swelling, itching, pain, and other unpleasantries.
Antihistamines like ketotifen are designed to block that response. Alaway, with its 12-hour protection, can easily be used to treat common allergic responses to pollen, pet dander, and grass. It starts working right away and can be used with contact lenses .
Eye drops containing only antihistamines, like Alaway, are generally safe for everyday use.
Active Ingredients: Ketotifen 0.025% | Dosage: 1 drop in affected eye twice per day or every 8-12 hours
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Will My Insurance Cover These Medications
Prescription, generic medications are likely to be covered by insurance plans as Tier 1 medications, meaning that theyll fall under the lowest medication copay price. However, copays can sometimes be more expensive than paying out of pocket with a coupon, so remember to shop around. The lowest GoodRx price for olopatadine, for example, is currently about $16 for a 2.5 mL bottle . And the lowest GoodRx price for azelastine is currently about $18 for a 6 mL bottle .
Prescription, brand-name medications like Pataday and Alocril will likely be considered Tier 2 or 3 medications by insurance companies, meaning you will have a moderate to high copay for them. They also tend to have higher retail prices. Pataday can cost well over $200 for a 2.5 mL bottle.
To save on brands, remember that generics are sometimes available, and they tend to be cheaper. Some manufacturers also offer patient assistant programs to help people save. To find out if your medication is offered under a PAP, search for the drug name on goodrx.com and scroll down to see ways to save.
Over-the-counter eye drops tend to range from $5 to $20 per bottle.
Dr. O
Eye Allergies: What To Do About Itchy Eyes
Thursday, May 17, 2018
Itchy, watery eyes during allergy season can drive you crazy. Mass. Eye and Ears Dr. Ryan Vasan has some tips on how to feel better.
After another snowy, cold winter in Boston, spring has finally arrived! As the weather warms and flowers begin to bloom, plants are shedding all kinds of stuff like pollen and ragweed. Of all the ways spring allergies can drive you crazy, itchy, watery eyes may be the most frustrating and disruptive to daily life.
Our eyes are also perhaps the most vulnerable parts of our body to allergies, says Mass. Eye and Ear ophthalmologist Ryan A. Vasan, M.D., because the surface of the eye is always exposed.
We have little hairs in our noses that trap allergens, and the acid in our stomachs often kills off anything that might cause a reaction to the food we eat, he explained. The main defenses for our eyes are tears, eyelids and eyelashes but our eyes are otherwise exposed to allergens.
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Avoid Outdoor Allergy Triggers
Do your symptoms act up in the spring or summer? You may have seasonal eye allergies. Pollen from grass, weeds, and trees may trigger your eye allergy symptoms. Monitor pollen counts and stay indoors when they are high outside, if possible. Close the windows and run the air conditioner to help filter the air. Pollen counts tend to be the highest in the early evening and mid-morning when winds are most active. If you must be outside, wear sunglasses to minimize contact with allergens. Do not use window fans. These can draw irritants from outside and deliver them into your home and make eyes itchy.
