Allergy eye drops – A sure way to cure eye allergy

Eye allergy can cause a lot of discomfort to the individual and is normally associated with watery, itchy red and swollen eyes. Occasionally they may even lead to loss of vision. These allergic reactions may be caused due to:

• Allergic rhinitis(hay fever)
• Dermatitis(Atopic eczema)
• Certain medications
• Certain cosmetics

Eye allergy care can initially include artificial tears that help in dislodging any particle that may have entered the eye. The allergy causing particles also called allergens will be diluted by such artificial tears. Further, these tears aid in improving the defence mechanism of the body’s own tears.

There are many different types of over the counter (OTC) eye allergy drops and tablets that are available to treat eye allergy. These are generally used to alleviate pain for short periods of time. Long term use of these over the counter eye drops and medications could make the situation a lot worse. OTC allergy eye drops are found to cause dilation of pupils and this situation is a lot more in people who wear contacts. There is more dilation in people who have green, grey or blue eyes.

The different types of over the counter (OTC) eye drops for allergy that are available include;

1. Artificial tears
   • Temporarily removes the allergen from the eye.
   • The allergy could make the eye dry and these tears help in moistening the eye.
   • These are safe for use.
   • These can even be used on children after consultation with the paediatrician.
   • When these artificial tears are refrigerated they provide additional comfort.
   • These can be used as often as required.
2. Antihistamines- Decongestants:
   • These OTC eye drops are used to reduce the redness of the eye.
   • These are vasoconstrictors.
   • These decongestant drugs can be purchased and used as such or are available along with antihistamines.
   • The addition of antihistamine provides relief from itching.
   • These drops are weak.
   • They need to be used as frequently as 4 to 6 times a day.
   • However, they should not be used for longer than 3-4 days as they will lead to increased swelling and redness of the eye that does not disappear even after the drug is discontinued from use.
   • Caution: These eye drops for allergy with vasoconstrictors should not be used on patients with glaucoma.

Prescription allergy eye drops that are used to treat eye allergy can be used both for short term treatment as well as for long term treatment.

The different types of prescription eye drops include;

1. Eye drops that contain antihistamines:
   
   
   • These eye drops can be used to reduce itching that is associated with eye allergy.
   • Redness and swelling may also be reduced.
   • These eye allergy drops provide immediate relief.
   • The effect provided by such antihistamine eye drops last only for a few hours.
   • These drops might have to be used at a frequency of 4 times a day.
2. Eye drops with mast cell stabilizers:
   
   
   • Histamine produced by the body in reaction to the entry of an allergen is responsible for the symptoms associated with allergy.
   • These eye drops do not allow the production of histamine.
   • The drops prevent itching when they are applied to the eye before exposure to the allergen
   • The mast cell stabilisers help in providing relief for longer periods of time.
3. Eye drops that contain both antihistamine and mast cell stabilizers;
   
   
   • These are newly developed eye drops that contain both antihistamine and mast cell stabilizers.
   • These can be used to treat eye allergy as well as to prevent it.
   • These provide immediate relief.
   • They also provide relief from itching, redness, burning sensation and swelling for long periods of time.
   • They should be administered twice a day.
4. Non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs:
   
   
   • These NSAID drops can be used to obtain relief from itching.
   • These should be administered at least 4 times a day.
   • On application of these eye drops, a burning sensation might be felt which is normal.
   • These are normally prescribes for seasonal allergies that include hay fever.
5. Eye drops with corticosteroids:
   
   
   • These can be used to treat chronic conditions of allergy
   • These eye drops should not be used for long periods of time They might lead to side effects like
     
     • Glaucoma and affecting the optic nerve
     • Cataracts
     • Risk of acquiring an infection
   • These steroid eye drops should be administered for longer period of time only under the direct supervision of an ophthalmologist.

There are preservative free allergy eye drops that are available and these eye drops are usually new formulations that are available in the market. They are improvements of eye drops with mast cell stabilizers that do not allow the productions of allergy causing histamines in the eye and are available without preservatives. These eye drops are very useful for people

• Who are sensitive to preservatives in the eye drops
• Who use hard contact lenses

These allergic eye drops are very effective against allergy caused to the eye and provide great relief from redness, itchiness, swelling, watery eyes or dry eyes. These antihistamine, mast cell stabilisers and decongestant eye drops are also available in the form of tablets that can be taken orally. However, the efficacy of these medicines is better when they are administered in the form of allergy eye drops.

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