Once or twice a year I am hit with an allergen in the environment that really affects my EYES. I usually take medication, but often STILL have irritation and swollen/red eyes. The eye area is extremely sensitive, so it is difficult to really treat irritation here. But over the years, I have developed a few gentle strategies which work for me and which I would like to pass on.
If you do not have a prescription, I have found that over-the-counter (OTC) allergy eye drops like Ocuhist work. (But careful, you can only put then in 3-4 times a day.) For irritation beyond that, I now use Simulsan, an OTC homeopathic eye drop now available in drug stores. And you can also use Murine’s original formula. Be careful that you don’t get a drop like Visine, which shrinks blood vessels in the eyes to reduce redness. You can only use them a few times a day, and in my case, the redness comes from irritation in the SKIN outside the eye.
I have also MADE my own weak boric acid solution by putting about a teaspoon of high pharmacy-quality boric acid in about a pint of boiling water. Boric acid is the prime ingredient in most regular eye washes – so you can use this solution to bathe your eyes. It’s a lot less expensive than even Murine. Look for an old-fashioned eye cup, if you can find one, to help apply it – or use cotton balls saturated in the solution.
DEALING WITH EXTERNAL IRRITATION
I deal with external redness and irritation several ways in addition to eye drops and medication –
1) I coat my top eyelid with petroleum jelly to protect it and keep it moist. Apply as often as needed.
2) I have found that applying the petroleum jelly – based opthalmic ointment usually used for STYES on the red inner eyelid and surrounding the eye also
provides a degree of relief and seems to protect that part of the eye as well.
3) If there is an external skin irritation, perhaps caused by a contact allergy (touching an allergen and then touching your eye area) – I have gotten
relief with the herbal/homeopathic remedy Calendula Gel – available at the health food store. This will reduce inflammation without
thinning the delicate skin around the eye, as for example, cortisone cream seems to do.
4) For puffiness in the AM – I apply a dab of Dickinson’s witch hazel under my eye to reduce swelling and avoid developing bags beneath my eyes. I
apply eye cream. (Witch hazel, by the way, is often found in the more expensive eye gels and creams, but I find it more economical just to apply a dab
before applying ordinary drug store brands.)
5) If my eyes are really irritated and all else seems to fail, I lie down and apply compresses of weak COLD BLACK TEA to my eyes. The combination of
the cold, the astringent nature of the tea and even gentle pressure on the compresses, relieves irritation when my eyes seem too irritated to tolerate
anything else.
OTHER HOMEOPATHIC REMEDIES
Placebo effect or not, I have had great success with using homeopathic remedies for allergies, either by themselves, or in addition to medication (if things are really bad.) I have used the tinctures of nettles, various regional formulations, and specific formulations for the allergen involved. There is a formulation, for example, for Mold, Dust and Yeast, for Pet/Animal Dander, for Grasses, for Trees and so on.
I also ALLERGY AIDE by Boericke and Tafel, a Dutch Company (available at health food stores). It comes in blister packs that are easy to carry around and seems to work very quickly to relive symptoms. There are, of course, other formulations on the market, too.
I subscribe to an email newsletter put out by one of the drug companies (Claritin in this case, but there are others) which will tell me which specific allergen is involved in my area. Then I know which tincture to use. I think of it as a lower level of the same sort of immune system protection you get from allergy shots – exposure to tiny amounts of the allergen to rev up your own immune response. I have also gotten allergy shots in the past.
MISCELLANEOUS TIPS
Try not to touch and or rub your eyes! It will only make the irritation worse!
Remember that you can have a contact allergy(an allergen can be touched and then conveyed to the eye area with your hands) – so also look for those sources of irritation and eliminate them. (I am allergic to nail polish, for example.)
I avoid applying any makeup such as mascara to my eyes when the are irritated. And, of course, I look for a non-allergenic mascara, although most of them are these days. If there is irritation, try changing your mascara/eye makeup to see if that is the source of it. (I wear eye shadow very rarely these days, as I can’t tolerate it the way I used to.)
You can shield your eyes with glasses even if you don’t need a prescription. I wore clear glass OTC eye glasses when working at a perfume counter, as after a while, the cologne/perfume spray irritated my eyes and made them red. I have also worn slightly tinted lenses to cover up the redness when I felt my eyes were too irritated to apply any make up.)
Tinted glasses will also provide coverup inside, as rock stars who wear sunglasses inside already have learned.
Avoid other allergens you are sensitive to until your irritation subsides. This is not the time to expose yourself to pet dander, or to dust and so on – which will compound the irritation. If you must clean or dust, try using eyeglasses or even goggles, to protect your eyes.
I have had success with home air filters to clean the air of possible allergens. I even have one next to my bed, which I use to blow fresh air over me when I sleep. (Air conditioning can help, too.)
You can help fight the fatigue that comes from medication and the sheer stress of the allergic reaction by using ginseng and other adaptogens. I like the ENERGY PLUS formulation. But check that there is not something like echinecea in the mix (it’s similar to goldenrod) or bee pollen if you are allergic to bee stings! And take your b-vitamins and C to help with the stress!
I have been known to resort to strong coffee in an emergency to pep me up – which normally would make me jittery – but in these cases only makes me normal! (But remember, it can cause adrenal exhaustion and make matters worse.) I also have a spray which includes caffeine and ginseng in it that I can carry in my purse.
When all else fails, I take BENADRYL(or the generic equivalent) and go to sleep until I feel better. It is a geat emergency antihistimine , as it’s readily available, which you should have on hand for emergencies, but it does make me tired and sleepy and a bit stupid. This effect goes along with other medications you take internally as well. So take it easy while you are having an attack. (I have also been warned that it can deepen depression – so watch for that effect, too.)
THE GOOD NEWS
Because you are developing habits of tending to your eye area gently and regularly – you will probably AVOID some of the signs of aging around your eyes normal folks will get. I have!
So take care of your eyes and GOOD LUCK!!
