Archived Seasonal Allergies Articles
The Birds And The Bees
Here is the ophthalmologist’s version of the story... Of course, the birds and the bees are part of the sights and sounds of Spring. Along with the wind, these flying creatures spread pollen from plants and flowers into the air. And it is the pollen that leads to allergies. Spring time allergies can cause our eyes to become red, itchy, teary, and puffy. Because kids tend to be most effected by allergies, I have certain recommendations that tend to decrease the symptoms that they might experience in their eyes. To begin, you can’t keep kids from playing outdoors. So the next best thing is to clean off the pollen when they come back home. So the kids should do what I call the three s’s: shower, shampoo, and switch into fresh clothes. Because we like to keep our windows open in the spring, we must do things in the house to keep the pollen count inside low. So frequent vacuuming and cleaning is a must. In addition, try to remove dust-collecting carpets and stuffed animals from their bedrooms. Pillows and bed sheets should also be routinely washed every one to two weeks. Instruct the kids not to rub their eyes as it tends to worsen inflammation. A cold compress is a better alternative as it works well to soothe their eyes and lower inflammation. Sometimes the allegies are so severe or the pollen count is so high, that the above remedies are not very effective. In this case, it is best to bring your child for evaluation by an ophthalmologist as there are other available therapies to help the eyes feel better.