Patients regularly come to an ophthalmologist’s practice with red, swollen and itchy eyes. They suffer a lot from this, which reduces their quality of life. An allergic reaction is usually the cause of these symptoms. The eye allergy, also known as ocular allergy, ocular pruritus or allergic conjunctivitis, is often the result of coming into contact with pollen, dust mites, pet dander, feathers (such as in beds), and other allergens. Once the cause is known, treatment is easier, although some people continue to suffer from itchy eyes. Eye drops, medicines and some tips bring relief.
- Allergic reaction
- Types of eye allergy
- Symptoms of allergic reaction: Itchy eyes
- Therapy
- Tips for the patient
Allergic reaction
As with other allergies (allergic reaction due to contact with a triggering substance), the body’s immune system is disturbed in an eye allergy. If the patient’s conjunctiva (eye conjunctiva) comes into contact with pollen, dust mites, mold or pet dander, the immune system perceives this as a threat. The immune system fights against this essentially harmless threat and produces antibodies. This causes histamine and other substances to be released. Histamine, an inflammatory substance released from mast cells, is a chemical. The mast cells release a number of inflammatory substances that locally cause widening of blood vessels (vasodilation), increasing the permeability of the blood vessels and lowering the pain threshold. This causes fluid to escape, leading to tissue damage. This results in swollen, bleeding, red, itchy and watery eyes.
The use of (eye) cosmetics may lead to an allergic reaction / Source: Manuel Marín, Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-2.0)
Types of eye allergy
The most common eye allergy is seasonal allergic conjunctivitis. Conjunctivitis is the medical term for “conjunctivitis”. Patients are usually exposed to airborne allergens, usually from grass pollen, weeds, mold spores and trees, in early spring through summer and into autumn. Chronic (perennial) conjunctivitis also occurs, especially with dust, pet dander, bed springs and other allergens. Chlorine, air pollution, makeup and eye cosmetics, perfume, smoke or other chemicals, and certain medications result in contact conjunctivitis. Finally, there is contact lens allergy that patients suffer from. Preservatives in the contact lens solution are often the culprit.
Symptoms of allergic reaction: Itchy eyes
A number of patients immediately suffer from the allergy when they come into contact with the substance; for others it sometimes takes two to four days before allergic symptoms appear.
Symptoms of an eye allergy include photophobia (medical term for “sensitive to light”), a rash around the eyes, and swollen eyelids. The eyes themselves itch, burn, water and are also red (bloodshot), irritated and painful. Other allergic symptoms such as a tight feeling, wheezing, breathing problems, a runny nose, sniffling and sneezing also occur in combination with the eye allergy. In most cases, the symptoms are annoying but do not affect vision. Furthermore, there is often deep-set eyes.
Allergic conjunctivitis is more common in adults than in children, but it occurs at any age. Dry eyes, blepharitis (eyelid margin inflammation) and trichiasis (the inward turning of the eyelashes causing the eye to be constantly irritated) also lead to itchy eyes. Therefore, the patient should contact the ophthalmologist for a thorough eye examination.
Therapy
A doctor (allergologist or dermatologist) sometimes performs additional tests on the patient to be sure what he is allergic to. Once this is known, the patient no longer exposes himself to this triggering factor. A skin test, a blood test, a food allergy test and a physical examination are possible clinical diagnostic tools.
Fortunately, a number of medications that a patient uses for nasal allergies also work for an eye allergy. Sometimes an ophthalmologist prescribes eye drops and/or pills. The patient takes the eye drops following correct eye drop guidelines. Antihistamine pills and drops block histamine, reducing the symptoms of watery and itchy eyes. The patient often has to instill these several times a day, but it is often not advisable to use them for more than three days because they cause serious side effects. The antihistamine medication does lead to drowsiness in some patients. The patient often combines the eye drops with other types of drops that shrink the swelling. The patient should also not use these decongestant eye drops for too long in a row. Best advises a patient from his ophthalmologist whether and, if so, for how long he can use it. The drops are strongly not recommended for the eye disease glaucoma. The drops usually have an effectiveness of four to six hours after instillation. Sometimes additional corticosteroid medication is needed to reduce the itching. If the itching persists, immunotherapy (allergy injections for allergy treatment) is required.
Tips for the patient
Preventive
Outside
Best, a patient wears sunglasses when he goes outside. This prevents some of the pollen and other allergens from getting into the eyes. When working in the garden, the patient should wear a face mask and gloves. In the mid-morning and early evening (between 5 and 10 a.m.) the grass clumps are usually high; The patient should take this into account. When driving, the patient should close the windows and turn on the air conditioning to let in fresh air. If the patient works with chemicals, it is best to wear safety glasses.
Indoors
When the patient enters, it is best to shower to eliminate contact with allergens. It is best to avoid dust mites in the home: wash sheets and pillows at a high temperature and dry in a dryer instead of outside, regularly vacuum and mop thoroughly, replace carpets as much as possible with easy-to-clean floors, avoid curtains and use blinds, do not smoke or coming into contact with smoke in rooms where there is little ventilation, … Cleaning the kitchen with bleach, keeping the humidity below 50% and not allowing your pet in the bedroom are some other tips for the home. With pets, the patient is careful not to first stroke the pet and then touch the eyes. Ophthalmologists recommend removing contact lenses as much as possible, using daily disposable contact lenses or purchasing glasses to avoid a contact lens allergy.
Symptoms already present
Rinsing the eyes with water or sterile saline solution, cold compresses or a cold washcloth will reduce itching and pain. The patient may do this several times a day. Some home, garden and kitchen remedies also remedy or alleviate the symptoms. For example, a patient holds a bag of cold chamomile tea, green tea, rose water, aloe vera or chilled milk on the itchy eye for at least ten minutes three to four times a day. Cucumbers and raw potatoes are equally useful for this. Cooled, washed thin slices of these foods should be placed over the itchy eye for at least ten minutes four to five times a day. Drinking carrot and/or spinach juice is said to relieve the itching. There are no known complications with these natural treatments.
If the itching and pain persist, the patient should definitely not rub his eyes, even if they itch a lot. This causes additional eye irritation and leads to scratches or other injuries to the surface of the eye. Some patients benefit from artificial tears so that dry eyes disappear. These feel particularly pleasant when the patient stores them in the refrigerator. Finally, it is of paramount importance to notify the ophthalmologist in a timely manner if the pain increases and/or if the vision deteriorates.
read more
- Allergic conjunctivitis (eye conjunctivitis): Types
- Eye Inflammation: Causes and Symptoms of Inflamed Eyes
- Pterygium and pinguecula, benign lesions in the eyes
- Eye problems in summer: Types of eye diseases in the summer period
- Allergies and allergic reaction: Contact with allergens
