The spring season is known for allergies that leave individuals with swollen and itchy eyes. Combating eye allergies focuses on preventing and treating the symptoms.

Eye allergies, also called allergic conjunctivitis, can threaten your eyesight and occur when your immune system releases histamine. The symptoms include itchiness, swollen eyelids, burning, pain, and soreness. You can also experience light sensitivity, red eyes, and a runny and stuffy nose. Below are several ways to soothe your eye allergies.

Avoid Allergens

You can protect your eyes from allergies by reducing your exposure to common springtime allergens. Additionally, take the following steps:

• Spring clean before it gets warm.
• Avoid opening your windows.
• Keep your home clean.
• Make a daily routine of checking pollen levels on the internet.

Follow the above preventative measures to maintain proper eye health during spring.

Wear Sunglasses Outdoors

You can protect your eyes from allergens whenever you step outdoors by wearing sunglasses. They offer better protection than eyeglasses as they have a larger lens that can protect your eyes and the skin around them. You can also talk to your doctor to give you prescription sunglasses if you need to have constant vision correction.

Use Eye Drops

Seasonal eye allergies cause so much discomfort. Using medicated eye drops can help give your eyes relief throughout the season. You can control symptoms such as itchiness and redness by using antihistamine and decongestant drops.

Lubricate your eyes by using artificial tears. Consult your optometrist to know what formula and brand can relieve your symptoms.

Wash Your Face and Hands Often

Eye allergies start when allergens land on your eyes. Wash your face and hands often throughout the season. Focus on rinsing the skin around your eyes to reduce allergen concentration. You can also avoid having any hair covering your face to prevent trapping any allergens.

Cold Therapy

Eye allergies cause swelling, tenderness, and eye redness that need soothing from cold therapy. It also improves how the skin around the eyes appears. You can use a compress designed for that purpose or a soft cloth. Soak it in cool water, wring it out, and put it over your eyes.

You can refresh it by putting it back into the cold water and redoing the process. If your symptoms are intense, you can dip the compress in cool water, wring it, then place it in a refrigerator for up to 15 minutes. Doing so can help if you have symptoms such as severe swelling.

Stop Wearing Your Contact Lenses

Contact lenses can aggravate your eye allergy symptoms. You can stop wearing them for the first months of spring to avoid discomfort. You can also schedule to see your eye doctor for an examination for you to switch to wearing full-time glasses.

Rinse Your Eyes With Saline Solution

Eye allergies during springtime can affect tear production. Most people experience excess tear production or dry eyes due to allergies. You can have watery eyes but still have dry eyes during the season. Such irritations often happen when airborne allergens rest on your eyes. Minimize this exposure by rinsing your eyes with a saline solution.

A saline solution reduces the urge to rub your eyes. The rubbing triggers histamine release and causes blood vessel breakage, swelling, and redness.

For more about soothing eye allergies, call Vision One Eyecare Center at our office in Fort Mitchell (859) 267-1700 or Dry Ridge (859) 407-7400, Kentucky.