By: Jefferson Lin, OD

It’s that wonderful time of the year when the Minnesota snow has finally melted away and the sun has come out to play! From fishing, hiking, boating, and enjoying the weather many of us are able to see the sights and sounds of the great Minnesotan outdoors without the problems of allergies. With all of these fun activities come the inevitable allergies that put a damper on some of the fun. What if you’re one of the unfortunate few that suffer from EYE allergies?

Rest assured! Drs. North and Watson have some tips to reduce those itchy, watery eye symptoms.

1. Figure out what is causing the allergies! Is it pollen, animal dander, dust, make up, or even certain foods? By figuring out what is really the issue, you’re a lot closer to breathing deeper and freely.

2. Avoid the allergen or change your environment. The best way to combat any allergen is to remove the offending agent entirely from your environment. You will reduce the incidences keep yourself happily doing what you do best!

3. Use over the counter (OTC) eye drops. If you cannot figure it out or cannot stay away from the allergen, the next best thing would be to alleviate some of the symptoms with anti allergy eye drops from your local pharmacy.

Alaway and Zaditor are over the counter drops that will help! They contain ketotifen 0.025% in either a 5ml or 10ml bottle form. These are second generation antihistamine H1 receptor drugs that act peripherally and more selective than first generation counterparts. It is just a fancy way of saying they have less side effects. Bottom line: they will help with the allergies and will not make you drowsy! The best part is they are a lot cheaper than prescription anti allergy drops.

Try your best to stay away from eye drops that say they get rid of red eyes. These drops do so by directly reducing the appearance of red eyes, not by getting to the root of the problem, the allergen! Long term use of any anti allergy drops is not recommended. The ideal solution is to identify and avoid the allergen. Drops like Zaditor and Alaway provide symptom relief so you can run away from those pesky flowers!

Most importantly make sure you come in and see your eye doctor if you continually experience eye allergies and OTC eye drops do not seem to help. A thorough evaluation by a professional will help get to the bottom of the problem.

If you have any questions, call our office or send an email to info@northandwatson.com