EYE ALLERGY

Understanding Eye Allergies
When you say, "I have allergies," people expect you to sneeze. But your nose isn't the only part of your body that gets hit during an allergy attack. You can also have red, swollen, and itchy eyes.

The usual suspects -- pollen, dust mites, pet dander, feathers, and other indoor or outdoor allergens -- can set off eye allergy symptoms. To treat them, find out what triggers them and stay ahead of the symptoms. Eye drops, other medications and especially immunotherapy can bring relief.

Eye Allergy Triggers
When you have allergies, your body reacts to things that aren't really harmful, like pollen, dust mites, mold, or pet dander. It releases histamine, a chemical that causes swelling and inflammation. The blood vessels in your eyes swell and your eyes get red, teary, and itchy.

You can be allergic to:

• Pollen from grasses, weeds, and trees. These are the most common kinds of eye allergies and are called seasonal allergic conjunctivitis.
• Dust, pet dander, and other indoor allergens. These eye allergies last year-round and are called chronic (perennial) conjunctivitis.
• Makeup, perfume, or other chemicals can trigger eye allergies called contact conjunctivitis.
• An allergy to contact lenses, called giant papillary conjunctivitis, makes eyes sensitive and red.

Symptoms
You may start to have symptoms as soon as the eyes come in contact with the allergen, or you may not have symptoms for two to four days.
Symptoms of eye allergies include:

• Red, irritated eyes
• Itchiness
• Tearing or runny eyes
• Swollen eyelids
• Soreness, burning, or pain
• Sensitivity to light

Usually you'll also have other allergy symptoms, such as a stuffy, runny nose and sneezing.

Eye Allergy Treatment & Management
If indoor allergens are causing your eye allergy symptoms, avoidance is the key to relief.
Over-the-counter antihistamine pills and eye drops are often used for short-term treatment of eye allergy symptoms. However, prolonged use of some eye drops may actually make your symptoms worse.
Corticosteroid eye drops are effective, but they often have side effects, even when used only for a short time. Use of this medication should be managed by an ophthalmologist due to the risk of side effects, such as glaucoma (increased ocular pressure), cataracts and infection.
Depending on what is causing your eye allergy symptoms, immunotherapy (allergy shots) can be very effective in providing long-term resistance to the triggering allergens.

Asian diagnostics is the first and only center in the state where in-vitro tests are being carried out.