A New Vision

4655 SW Griffith Drive #165

Beaverton, OR 97005 US

503-646-8592

Open mobile navigation
  • Home
  • Patient Center
    • Online Forms
  • Our Services
    • Eye & Vision Exams
    • Vision Exams For Children
    • Contact Lens Exam
    • Optomap Retinal Exams
    • Diopsys/VEP Testing
    • Readalyzer(TM)
    • InfantSEE®
  • Vision Therapy
    • Tools & Techniques
    • Vision Therapy FAQ
  • Eye Wear
    • Frame Lines
    • Lenses
    • Contact Lenses
      • Soft Contacts
      • RGP Lenses
    • Choosing the Right Frames
  • About Us
    • Meet the Team
  • Contact Us
  • Blog
  • Community Content
    • Common Eye Conditions
      • Age-Related
      • Cognitive and Acquired
      • Vision Impairment
      • Injury & Irritation
      • Eye Lids
      • Changes in Appearance
    • Contact Lenses
    • Eye Diseases
    • Eyeglasses
      • Eyeglass Lenses
    • Eye Symptoms
    • How the Eyes Work
      • Basic Visual Skills
    • Pediatric Vision
    • Protecting Your Eyes
    • Visual Rehabilitation
    • Vision Problems
    • What is Vision Therapy
    • Vision Therapy Programs
    • We Can Help With
      • Cataracts
      • Corneal Disorders
        • Disorders
      • Glaucoma
      • Refractive Disorders
      • Adult Strabismus
      • Retinal Disorders
    • Newsletters
      • Glasses & Frames
      • Contacts
      • Tips for Healthy Eyes
      • Conditions That Affect Vision
      • Kid's Vision
      • Amazing, Interesting Eyes
      • Medical Perspectives
  • Contact Lens Training Information
  • Home >
  • Articles >
  • Newsletters >
  • What Are Eye Allergies? Symptoms and Treatments

What Are Eye Allergies? Symptoms and Treatments

  • Created in Newsletters
Woman with irritated eyes

Red, Itchy Eyes? You Might Have Eye Allergies

Sneezing, congestion, post-nasal drip, and hives aren't the only symptoms of allergies. Your allergies can also affect your eyes, causing a range of uncomfortable symptoms.

Eye Allergy Symptoms

Eye allergy symptoms can vary from person to person but often include:

  • A Change in Appearance. Have you noticed that your eyes are red and irritated or that your eyelids look a little puffy or swollen? Eye allergies often cause very noticeable symptoms and may even be responsible for the dark circles under your eyes. Commonly called "allergic shiners," the circles form when blood backs up in the small blood vessels under your eyes due to nasal congestion.
  • Sensitivity. Your eyes may become more sensitive to both sunlight and natural light if you have eye allergies. In fact, you may even be tempted to wear sunglasses indoors.
  • Discomfort. Burning, itching, pain, and tearing can be quite uncomfortable and make reading, driving or watching TV a little challenging.

The trouble starts when your immune system overreacts to the presence of allergens, harmless substances that your body mistakenly decides are dangerous to your health. Once an allergen enters your body, your immune system produces histamines, natural chemicals that help eliminate allergens. As the histamines flood your body, they trigger sneezing, tearing, and other symptoms to rid your body of the allergens.

Common Eye Allergy Triggers

The same allergens that cause nasal allergies can also cause eye allergies. Your symptoms may happen due to exposure to:

  • Pollen
  • Pet Dander
  • Mold
  • Dust
  • Perfume
  • Cosmetics
  • Smoke
  • Foods
  • Insect Bites or Stings

Eye allergies can occur in conjunction with nasal allergies or may happen without any nasal symptoms. You may also develop allergy symptoms if you become allergic to eye drops or other eye preparations, or your eyes become irritated by your contact lenses or deposits that form on the lenses. Wearing contact lenses can also worsen your allergy symptoms, as the lenses may trap allergens.

Ways to Reduce Eye Allergy Symptoms

Minimizing your exposure to allergens offers a simple way to decrease allergy symptoms, no matter what the cause. Check the local allergy forecast every day if you suffer from eye allergies. If you notice high levels of the allergens that trigger your symptoms, minimize the amount of time you spend outdoors. When you do venture outside, wear glasses rather than contact lenses. Glasses provide a barrier that helps prevent allergens from reaching your eyes.

Other ways to minimize exposure to allergens include:

  • Keeping the Windows Closed. Prevent airborne allergens from settling on to your furniture and floors by shutting the windows and using your air-conditioner instead.
  • More Frequent Cleaning. Vacuuming and mopping often reduce the number of allergens that enter your home on your clothing or your pet's fur. In addition to cleaning more often, encase your mattress and pillows in special protectors to reduce your exposure to dust mites and wash your bedding often.
  • Replacing Carpeting. Vacuuming will help reduce allergens but it won't remove them entirely. If you suffer from severe allergies, you may want to consider removing rugs and carpeting and replacing it with hardwood or tile floors instead.
  • Limiting Nighttime Visits from Pets. There's nothing cozier than snuggling up to your cat or dog at night - until you begin to experience eye allergies. Keeping your pet out of your bedroom may help ease your symptoms if you're allergic to pet dander.
  • Using Over-the-Counter Eye Drops or Artificial Tears. Eye drops and artificial tears offer short-term relief by washing away allergens from your eyes.
  • Visiting Your Eye Doctor. If making a few changes to your home and using eye drops don't improve your eye allergies, make an appointment with your eye doctor. Depending on the cause of your eye allergies, your doctor can recommend a variety of treatment options, including oral antihistamines or antihistamine drops, allergy shots, a change in the type of contact lenses you wear, or prescription eye drops to prevent the release of histamine or reduce redness, itching or swelling.

Relieve your eye allergy symptoms with a visit to the eye doctor. Contact us to schedule your appointment.

Sources:

American Academy of Ophthalmology: What Are Eye Allergies?, 9/10/19

American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology Eye Allergy

All About Vision: Eye Allergies: Get Relief from Itchy, Watery Eyes

  • Common Eye Conditions
    • Age-Related
    • Cognitive and Acquired
    • Vision Impairment
    • Injury & Irritation
    • Eye Lids
    • Changes in Appearance
  • Contact Lenses
  • Eye Diseases
  • Eyeglasses
    • Eyeglass Lenses
  • Eye Symptoms
  • How the Eyes Work
    • Basic Visual Skills
  • Pediatric Vision
  • Protecting Your Eyes
  • Visual Rehabilitation
  • Vision Problems
  • What is Vision Therapy
  • Vision Therapy Programs
  • We Can Help With
    • Cataracts
    • Corneal Disorders
      • Disorders
    • Glaucoma
    • Refractive Disorders
    • Adult Strabismus
    • Retinal Disorders
  • Newsletters
    • Glasses & Frames
    • Contacts
    • Tips for Healthy Eyes
    • Conditions That Affect Vision
    • Kid's Vision
    • Amazing, Interesting Eyes
    • Medical Perspectives

Contact Us

We look forward to hearing from you.

Featured Links

Click to find out more

  • Services

    We strive to provide complete care for our patients/ learn more about all the services we provide.
    Learn More
  • Make An Appointment

    We will do our best to accommodate your busy schedule. Schedule an appointment today!
    Schedule Now
  • Online Forms

    Our patient forms are available online so they can be completed in the convenience of your own home or office.
    View Forms

Monday:

9:00am

5:00pm

Tuesday:

9:00am

5:00pm

Wednesday:

9:00am

5:00pm

Thursday:

9:00am

5:00pm

Friday:

9:00am

3:00pm

Saturday:

Closed

Closed

Sunday:

Closed

Closed

  • "We have noticed a huge improvement with our son during and after completing his vision therapy with A New Vision. He is reading at a much higher level, his grades have improved, his confidence has increased, and homework is not taking so long. His improvements are life changing! Thank you so much!"
    D.H. / Beaverton, OR

Featured Articles

Read up on informative topics

  • October Newsletter: The Advantages of Prescription Sunglasses

    Could prescription sunglasses help you see better on bright day? ...

    Read More
  • October Newsletter: What Are Ocular Migraines and How Can They Be Prevented?

    Seeing stars or flashing lights? An ocular migraine could be to blame. ...

    Read More
  • Stress and Vision

    Did you know that your eyes are an extension of your brain? There are six muscles connected to each eye, and they receive signals from the brain. These signals direct the eyes movements and, thus, control their ability to focus. When you are stressed, your brain goes through a number of changes and signals ...

    Read More
  • Pain Management

    We take a lot of aspects of our vision for granted. We expect to see nearby and faraway objects clearly, even if we require our eye care provider to prescribe eyeglasses or contact lenses to do so. A huge degree of the information we take in about our world and our surroundings takes place visually, ...

    Read More
  • Nutrition for Eye Health

    Eating right is essential for keeping your body healthy. This is as true for your eyes as it is for your heart. A diet that is rich in fresh fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and is low in saturated fat, can reduce your risk of heart disease. This will also keep your arteries healthy, so they can ...

    Read More
  • Lifestyle Practices for Eye Health

    Protecting your eyesight is an important part of staying healthy overall. Maintaining sound eye health will also help you preserve your quality of life as you age. To keep your eyes as healthy as possible, follow these simple lifestyle practices. Get regular eye exams. Some eye problems — including ...

    Read More
  • Glare and Halos

    Glare and halos are both eye symptoms that some people experience around bright lights. Halos show up as bright circles around a light source. Glare is light that interferes with your vision, making it difficult to see or sometimes making your eyes water. These symptoms can show up at any time of the ...

    Read More
  • UV Radiation and Your Eyes

    Optometry warnings about the damaging effects of ultraviolet radiation on our eyes have not yet reached the degree of public awareness of that of skin damage. Yet, the sun can be just as damaging upon our eyes with unprotected exposure. Short-term exposure to very bright sunlight can result in a type ...

    Read More
  • Lazy Eye

    Lazy eye, also referred to as amblyopia, is a condition that develops in infancy or early childhood, and it typically starts when the focus in one eye is more enhanced than the other. The eye with less focus might be impaired due to a significant amount of farsightedness or astigmatism, or something ...

    Read More
  • Pediatric Ophthalmology

    Ophthalmology addresses the physiology, anatomy and diseases of the eyes. Pediatric ophthalmology focuses on the eyes of children. Pediatric ophthalmologists examine children’s eyes to see if they need corrective lenses or other treatments to improve their vision. Training for Pediatric Ophthalmologists Pediatric ...

    Read More

Social Media

  • Copyright © 2023 MH Sub I, LLC dba iMatrix.
  • Admin Log In
  • Site Map