As beautiful as spring is, nearly 20 per cent of people in Australians will suffer from eye allergies – allergic conjunctivitis – eye redness, swelling, conjunctivitis, eye itchiness and a burning feeling in the eye or the eyes can become watery.

Allergic conjunctivitis is not contagious so cannot be passed on from person to person.

Symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis are usually mild to moderate.

How can allergic conjunctivitis be treated?

When your eyes are irritated, they can respond to simple treatments to effectively reduce your suffering. These include:

1. Cold compress

Bath your eyes with cold water, ice packs and cold water compresses.

2. Home adjustments

Sweep and clean your house with a vacuum cleaner that has a high-efficiency particulate air filter that can trap 99.97% of microscopic particles in the air.

3. Avoid peak pollen hours

The peak pollen times are in the morning from around 8 to 10am and in the afternoon from 5 to 7pm. If you can, stay inside during these hours and avoid areas with a lot of grass, flowers, or trees.

4. Wear sunglasses and a mask

If you have to commute during peak pollen times, wear a mask and sunglasses.

5. Use eye drops for allergies

Lubricating eye drops can be used to reduce itching and swelling and to clean the allergens out of the tear film of the eyes.

6. Keep windows closed

On high pollen days stay at home and keep the windows closed to keep out the pollen.

7. Eat healthy

Eat more fruit and leafy green vegetables as well as fish such as salmon, which is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which can improve your allergy resistance.

8. Exercise

150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise each week will help improve your hay fever symptoms and reduce your stress levels.

9. Avoid alcohol and smoking

Alcohol and smoking make allergy symptoms worse. Wine and beer have a high level of histamines and smoking causes a release of histamines. Prevent an allergic reaction by avoiding alcohol and smoking.

10. Wash hair and clothes

To reduce allergic symptoms, take off your shoes before you enter the house to keep the allergens outside. Wash your clothes and hair, particularly on high pollen days, as pollen sticks to your hair then rubs off on your pillow.

11. See your optometrist

Many people suffer from undiagnosed eye allergies. It is important to see us before your mild symptoms get worse and cause serious damage to your eye.

If you have symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis book an appointment with us to discuss treatment options.