Allergy season has arrived in full force, which means ’tis the season for red, itchy eyes. Ugh! But why are our eyes specifically so vulnerable to seasonal allergies? Well, we spoke with allergist Dr. Neeta Ogden to find out the scoop. Read on to learn more about the ugly truth behind seasonal allergies and your eyes, and how you can provide some relief. And next up, don’t miss The 6 Best Exercises for Strong and Toned Arms in 2022, Trainer Says.
What we learned makes perfect sense. Dr. Ogden explains, “Our eyes are a portal of entry to our body and are easily exposed to our daily environment.” She adds, “Eyes are easily accessible to the millions of pollen particles that circle daily during allergy seasons allowing for instant and severe reactivity.”
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If you aren’t sure what the common symptoms are when it comes to your eyes and seasonal allergies, they include severe itchiness, redness, watering, and swelling—most especially throughout the spring.
Fortunately, there are some at-home remedies you can practice to help relieve these frustrating symptoms. In fact, it’s so important to be proactive and have a regimen ready to go to help soothe your allergy woes.
Dr. Ogden advises, “Wear wraparound sunglasses, rinse your eyes out nightly with a gentle saline, wipe your lids and lashes at the end of the day and make sure you are taking an everyday allergy eye drop like LASTACAFT® once daily.” Prescription-strength LASTACAFT® is an antihistamine eye drop that can be purchased over the counter. It will provide your itchy eyes with fast-acting relief from the classic indoor and outdoor allergens, including ragweed, pollen, animal hair, grass, and pet dander.
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Some helpful habits to get into that can help avoid the havoc of seasonal allergies include seeing a board-certified allergist. He or she can be helpful in identifying your allergy triggers so you can avoid them.
Additionally, Dr. Ogden suggests tracking pollen counts during the high season by using a pollen app—and you should certainly do this when you are traveling, too! When you know it will be a very high pollen day, don’t spend long periods of time outdoors. Also, take off your shoes at home and shower after you’ve been outside.
Dr. Ogden has some additional tips, explaining, “The key to allergy season is preparation and avoidance.” During allergy season, eye allergies can be pretty severe. Keep some drops on hand in your medicine cabinet like LASTACAFT® before the season starts, because being prepared is essential.
Dr. Ogden adds, “Also prepare your house with a HEPA-certified air purifier, especially in the bedroom, keep windows closed at home and in the car, and change your HVAC filters every year before the season hits.”
You can easily browse and shop for an air purifier online—like The Clorox Tabletop Air Purifier, complete with True HEPA filtration—for a reasonable cost to ensure you’re taking the necessary steps to prep yourself for allergy season.
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Alexa Mellardo
Alexa is the Mind + Body Deputy Editor of Eat This, Not That!, overseeing the M+B channel and delivering compelling fitness, wellness, and self-care topics to readers. Read more
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