Spring is in the air and allergies are coming with them. In Georgia, April brings the Masters, beautiful blooms on the trees and pollen. The pollen covers everything with a thin film of yellow that runs down the streets after a good spring rain.
With this new life, we all experience some form of allergy. (Almost all of us anyway.) For some it is a runny nose and sneezing and for others a sinus headache. But many have the dreaded watery and itchy eyes - our speciality.
So what should you do if you have eye allergies? First, you should resist the urge to rub your eyes. This can cause a release of inflammatory cells and make things worse. Try instead, using a cold cloth on your eyes to relieve the itchiness and irritation. There are many over-the-counter drops that help with itching and redness but be careful not to use too regularly as they can actually cause a dependency on the drop.
If cold cloths and OTC drops aren't enough, we can prescribe drops that have quick action and are long-lasting. For some patients, we change their contact lenses to daily disposable during allergy season or permanently. Other treatments are available so that no one has to suffer this allergy season.
