Allergies
Symptoms
Symptoms can include
redness, itching, tearing, burning, stinging, and
watery discharge, although they are not usually
severe enough to require medical attention.
Allergies caused by
the eye coming in contact with airborne allergens
are:
• Hayfever
conjunctivitis: a seasonal allergy that occurs when
airborne allergens such as ragweed come in contact
with the eyes and cause redness, watering, and
itching.
• Vernal keratoconjunctivitis: also a seasonal allergy that
affects outside edges of the
cornea and is most
often seen in children.
• Atopic
keratoconjunctivitis: a chronic, ongoing allergy
response affecting the outside edges of the
cornea
in older patients. If untreated, it can cause
scarring in the eyes
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Allergies
affecting the eye are fairly common. The
most common allergies are those related to
pollen, particularly when the weather is
warm and dry. Allergies that affect the eyes
can also be related to pet dander,
cosmetics, daily chemicals and even the
foods we eat.
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Treatment
Eyedrops can
effectively reduce these symptoms, as can rain and
cooler weather, which decrease the amount of pollen
in the air.
Many allergy
symptoms are temporary and can be eliminated once
contact with the offending cosmetic or detergent has
ended.
An increasing number
of eye allergy cases are related to medications and
contact lens wear. Also, animal hair and certain
cosmetics, such as mascara, face creams, and eyebrow
pencil can cause allergies that affect the eye.
Touching or rubbing eyes after handling nail polish,
soaps, or chemicals may cause an allergic reaction.
Some people have sensitivity to lip-gloss and eye
makeup.
If you experience
continued irritations from your contact lenses, you
may need to change your lens prescription and in the
short term stop wearing the lenses to allow your
eyes to heal. Stricter lens cleaning habits may be
necessary to keep airborne and chemical allergens
from entering your eyes when the contacts are
handled.
The types of
chemical eye allergies can be categorized as either
anaphylactoid (IgE mediated), which is a very sudden
and intense reaction, or toxic/irritative reaction
causing long-term redness and itching. In the case
of an anaphylactoid reaction, emergency medical
treatment is necessary. Flush the eye(s) out with
water and/or a saline solution (artificial tears) as
soon as possible to help remove the offending
substance.
Precautions
Do not use eyedrops
if you have
glaucoma or if you currently have an eye
infection. Eyedrops can aggravate the condition and
lengthen the healing time.
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