Getting Better Glasses

If you're in your early thirties and suddenly develop allergies to dust or pollen, you may have adult onset allergies. Adult onset allergies, or late-onset allergies, can occur without warning and trigger many different symptoms, including red, itchy eyes. The symptoms can worsen without treatment. Knowing more about your later in life allergy can help you manage your red, itchy eyes.

How Do Adult-Onset Allergies Develop?

Later in life, allergies can occur when you expose your immune system to something it doesn't like or tolerate well. The allergy problem might happen when you obtain a new job that exposes you to dust, pets, or certain foods like peanuts and soy. Your allergy might occur when you move from the city to a place surrounded by plants, such as wheat, flowers, and grass.

Adult allergies can also develop when childhood allergies suddenly reappear after many years of hibernation. If your allergies subsided or hibernated early on, you might not remember that you have them until something (allergen) reactivates your symptoms. Depending on your allergy trigger, your first symptoms may occur in the eyes.

Your eyes may turn red, itch, and swell up from your allergy. It's also possible for other problems to occur in the eyes, including discoloration under the eyes (dark circles) and puffiness in the eyelids. You might take OTC medications to calm your allergy symptoms. But if the medications don't alleviate your eyes' symptoms, seek help from an eye doctor. 

How Do You Cope With Your Allergy Symptoms?

An optometrist can also help treat your eyes' allergy symptoms. An eye specialist may do a number of things to make you feel better, including prescribing antihistamines and eye drops. Antihistamines help alleviate your symptoms by controlling the histamine reactions in your body. Eye drops soothe the inflammation in your eyes by keeping them moist.

If you wear contact lenses, an eye doctor can examine them to see if they caused your allergies. Sometimes, the wrong type of contact lenses can irritate the soft tissues of your eyes. An optometrist may change your contact prescription or try something else to help alleviate your symptoms.

Always try to avoid your allergy triggers. For instance, if you work out in the sun, ask an eye specialist about protective eye goggles or sunglasses. The eyewear may help block out pollen, dust, and other types of allergy triggers.

To learn more about your red, itchy eyes, consult with an optometrist like Vision Eyeland Super Optical LLC.