Question:
Someone posted that allergy eyes main symptom is itching, but I came across an
Alcon website that states the following: "Allergy eyes is a medical condition known as allergic conjunctivitis. It is
the eye's reaction to an allergen that produces an allergic response, which can
be either immediate or delayed. Allergy eyes can be accompanied by ANY or ALL
of the following symptoms:"
- Itching
- Redness
- Burning
- Tearing
- Swelling
- Blurred vision
- Scratchy feeling
- Sensitivity to light
- Sensation that something is in your eye
I have had very little itching, but I have had burning, blurred vision, and a
scratchy feeling. I used some allergy drops on my own and cold compresses, and
now about 3 weeks later, my eyes are almost feeling completely better. My
reaction happened about a day or two after using some new eye makeup remover. I
have had the same reaction and symptoms after trying to use contact lenses.
All the eye doctors have told me in the past is that I have dry eye and they do
not test for any kind of allergy. It does not make sense to me that allergy
drops would make my condition better if I only have dry eyes. It also doesn't
make sense that these symptoms would only appear right after I put contacts in
my eyes and not even wear them for any time, and this time after use of some
eye makeup remover. I have had allergic skin reactions before...so why not my
eyes as well? I came across some information on the internet that said every
bout of an allergy raises the risk that a chronic dry eye condition may
develop.
I want to know if I should go to an allergist if this flares up again or ask my
opthamologist to check for an eye allergy and give me a prescription of
Patanol? I'm really getting frustrated by this.
Answer:
Ocular allergies can have a host of symptoms but still the #1
symptom I see day in and day out is itchiness. There are various
types (vernal to atopic) ; some are due to airborne allergens
and some due to contact such as cl solution preservatives, eye-
makeup products and so on. So obviously, if cool compresses and otc allergy agents have
helped there could be an allergic component to your problems.
There is no test for specific eye allergies; RAST or other
types of general allergy challenge tests will also apply to
the eye. Also trial and error as far as whether the cl solutions
or make-up can be valuable.
There are now a number of good allergy ocular meds out there-
Pantolol and now Zaditor are very good. Also I've had luck with
Livostin and Alocril.
I'm apparently allergic to cats and dogs and maybe some other stuff, and
the only symptom I have is itchy eyes. If I take Allerest or other
phenylpropanolamine-containing OTC stuff beforehand they don't itch, so I
just take one before I expect animal encounters. It's also used in diet
pills, but it doesn't seem to work for that :-( There is no real conflict between the Alcon site and the post; the Alcon
site lists itching as a symptom. There are very few conditions other than
allergy that produce itching in the eyes. Allergic conjunctivitis is an ocular manifestation of a systemic condition,
that is the allergic reaction is due to a malfunction of the allergy
sufferer's physiology. The allergy can manifest in various ways: skin
rashes, cough, nasal congestion, asthma. stomach upset and allergic
conjuctivitis are among the ways. Not every sufferer has every reaction.
An eye doctor can't test for "eye allergy" but an allergist can test whether
your body is allergic to certain substances.
Your problem sounds more like a chemical sensitivity rather than an allergy
if it only happens after using a particular kind of eye make up remover.
You may have had a reaction to a particular ingredient in the remover.
Since these reactions are biologically similar to allergic reactions the
allergy drops may have helped. On the other hand, maybe the three week wait
and the cold compresses were the cure and the drops did nothing. Some of
the preservatives and other agents used in eye cosmetics are also used in
contact lens care solutions; your problem with contacts may be a problem
with solution sensitivity. I've noticed that people who tend to have skin
reactions to cosmetics also are more likely to have problems with contact
lens solutions. Anti-allergics such as Patanlol aren't likely to be of much
use if your problem is chemical sensitivity--you need to identify and avoid
the chemical. Check the list of ingredients, both active and non-active in
the make up remover, the contact lens solutions and anything that has caused
a skin reaction--any ingredient they have in common is a suspect.
