Do you have allergies? During allergy season, do you develop dry eye symptoms as well?
Dry eyes and allergies are two of the most common eye conditions. Both have similar symptoms and result in severe eye irritation.
To treat allergies and dry eyes, there are easy treatments and lifestyle changes you can put in place. Keep reading to find out why allergies can cause dry eye symptoms!
There are many things that can cause dry eye. It generally occurs because the eyes can’t produce enough tears or they are low-quality.
Other things can cause dry eye like allergies, pregnancy, medications, hormones, and too much screentime. Wearing contact lenses and immune system conditions can cause dry eye as well.
While allergies can be a cause of dry eye, other things can too. One of the most important things you can do is figuring out the root cause of your dry eye. Once you know the root cause of your dry eye, your eye doctor can properly treat it.
People that wear contact lenses can have worse allergies and drier eyes. Most contact lenses prevent oxygen and moisture from getting into your eyes.
This can result in contact lens wearers having drier eyes when they wear their contacts. But when you add eye allergies into the mix, it gets worse.
Eye allergies and contacts do not mix. With contacts, you’re always putting them in and taking them out. For people with allergies that wear contacts, it’s essential to have clean hands whenever you touch your contacts.
Clean hands prevent you from transferring any allergens from your hands into your eyes. Wearing contact lenses with allergens on them then puts the allergens in your eyes.
This can make your dry eye symptoms worse too. If you have eye allergies, skip the contacts and wear your glasses as much as possible.
One way to treat your dry eyes and allergies is to stop using any antihistamines. While antihistamines treat allergies, they make dry eye worse. Other ways to treat your dry eye include:
This helps keep pollen and other allergens out of your house, so your eyes won’t suffer from irritation.
To keep your house cool, use your air conditioner. Don’t open your windows as it will let pollen in your home.
If you are using an air conditioner, make sure to check the filters on a regular basis for air quality!
Wearing sunglasses not only protect your eyes from the sun’s rays but pollen as well.
A dehumidifier helps take moisture out of the air. Moisture can cause mold to grow and cause more irritation if you have allergies.
Keeping your hands clean is key during allergy season. Clean hands don’t have allergens on them.
Do your best to not touch your eyes but if you do, make sure you do so only when your hands are clean. Having clean hands means you can avoid allergens and the transfer of them.
Air purifiers are a great way to clean the air in the rooms you use most often. It will help remove allergens, so your allergies and dry eye symptoms stay at bay.
Tried the above lifestyle changes and your dry eyes and allergies are still bothering you? See your eye doctor to come up with a treatment plan that works!
Ready to get relief from your dry eyes and allergy symptoms? Schedule an appointment at Advanced Eye Care in New Lenox, IL now!
