Top Spring Allergy Tips for Healthy Eyes

During the allergy season in spring, many people struggle with eye allergies. The allergies make your eyes burn, feel itchy, turn red and watery, and cause your eyelids to swell. While these allergies can harm the quality of your life, they are usually curable.

If you are experiencing an eye allergy, call your eye doctor for an eye exam. To tackle these seasonal allergies, you need to focus on ways to prevent and treat the symptoms. Here are tips to soothe your eye soreness brought about by spring allergies.

Stay Away of Allergens

The best way to keep your eyes healthy and safe from spring allergies is to restrict your contact with allergens. Spring allergens like pollen, mold bacteria, and dust mites from your pillows and air conditioning can get into your eyes.

To prevent eye irritation from these allergens, change your air-conditioning filters before using them for the first time. Clean your floors often, close your windows and monitor pollen levels daily. As well, ensure that the humidity level in your house stays below 50 percent to prevent mold from growing, particularly in a damp basement.

Use Protective Eyeglasses

When outdoors, use protective wraparound eyewear to protect your eyes from direct exposure to allergens and irritants present in the air. Use glasses that have bigger lenses to cover your eyes fully. You may opt to wear your sunglasses instead of your normal glasses because sunglasses have bigger lenses, giving more protection.

Stop Using Your Contact Lenses

Contact lenses can attract and collect allergens on their outer part. While contact lenses do not cause eye allergies, they can trigger and aggravate their symptoms. Schedule an eye exam with your eye doctor before switching to regular eyeglasses. The test will provide an opportunity to update your eyewear prescription to maintain a good quality of eyesight.

Try a Cold-Compress Therapy

If you notice redness or swelling in the area around your eye because of an allergy, try using cool water. Soak a soft cloth in cold water, squeeze it, and place it over your closed eyes. Hold the compress for a few minutes until it is no longer cold. The coolness will soothe your eyes and help decrease swelling.

Use Eye-Allergy Medications

Use eye-allergy medications prescribed by your eye doctor to ease itching and redness. They may include eye drops or oral medications. Your eye doctor will prescribe the appropriate medication for you depending on your symptoms.

Talk to Your Eye Doctor

Spring-related eye allergies can be troublesome, but they do not have to be. An eye checkup can help diagnose your symptoms and determine the most suitable treatment to relieve any discomfort. Talk to your eye doctor if you think you have a spring allergy or if your allergy symptoms are getting worse.

For more on spring allergy tips for healthy eyes, visit Primary Vision Care at any of our offices in Newark, Mount Vernon, Lancaster, Wilmington, or Waynesville, Ohio. You can also call (740) 299-1155, (740) 393-6010, (740) 654-9909, (937) 382-4933, or (513) 897-2211 to book an appointment today.