The most common notion about having allergies is that
they would occur mainly in the skin, or break out in
some other form, like having indigestion or something
equally unpleasant.
But one thing that is often overlooked is the human
eye, since it too contracts allergic reactions quite
easily. There are often symptoms that can let you know
that you’re having an allergic reaction to a
substance, identifying whether it’s from an allergy or
something else that’s causing your eye irritation.
Signs Of Trouble In Your Eyes
A lot of common symptoms can be associated with
multiple diseases. Itchiness in the eyes, redness,
swelling, a burning sensation, it can all possibly be
part of some other disease.
Another common sign is known as pink eye, which has
the entire clear membrane of the white of your eyes
going pink, and possibly getting itchy as well. You
can find out the source of the irritation if it’s from
a viral, bacterial, or allergic source.
If it only affects one eye, then the most likely cause
is viral. A bacterial source of pink eye will also
show because there is often a discharge coming out of
the eye. However, if it’s not exclusively the eye
that’s affected, then the source will most likely be
allergic in nature.
The doctor will most likely rule out all other
possibilities once he or she finds out about the exact
circumstances of the irritation.
Sources Of Eye Allergies
The eye, although protected from the outside by its
lubrication, can still sometimes come into contact
with possible allergens. The usual culprits in eye
allergies include pollen, which occurs during the
spring and summer months at its peak.
An unpleasant reaction to chemicals that enter your
eye such as medication with side effects or eye drops
can also cause an allergic reaction. Also quite common
is having allergies associated with pets, so be sure
to check these sources.
What you can do
Of course, being an allergic reaction, the best thing
that you can do to avoid having an unpleasant reaction
to your allergen is to avoid it. You’ll have to make
sure that you keep your surroundings clean from most
airborne allergens, like vacuuming regularly around
your house to keep dust, pollen, and pet hair from
getting airborne and into your eyes.
But still, you can’t avoid being exposed to other
environments, so if you’re allergic to airborne
particles, you’ll have to check with your doctor to
see if you can benefit from using over the counter
medicines that you can carry around.
These can possibly alleviate the symptoms you have
through their active ingredients. You can also
probably find products that have antihistamines in
them, lessening the allergic reaction and calming down
things a bit when symptoms manifest themselves as
swelling and redness.
A direct application to the symptom site will have a
faster reaction time than if you were to take the
medicine in oral form like capsules or tablets.
However, consult your doctor on the effects of
prolonged use of your medicinal treatments, as your
eyes might become dependent on your medication. You
don’t want to have your blood vessels being dependent
on eye drops to become small again when they swell up
during an allergy attack.