Having allergies can affect your daily quality of life, but when they occur in your eyes, it can affect your ability to comfortably perform daily tasks as well. At Legacy Eye Care, with two offices in South Hill and additional locations in Chester and Colonial Heights, Virginia, the dedicated team of optometrists skillfully treats eye allergies to give you comfortable eyes and clear vision. Call the office nearest to you, or book online to schedule your appointment today.

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What are eye allergies?

Eye allergies are a reaction to an allergen — a normally benign substance. Smoke, dust, pollen, mold, and pet dander are among the most common allergens today. These substances often cause a variety of uncomfortable eye symptoms as well as nasal issues like sneezing, stuffy nose, and runny nose.

What are the symptoms of eye allergies?

Symptoms usually affect both eyes with common issues, including:

  • Dry eyes
  • Redness
  • Bloodshot eyes
  • Light sensitivity
  • Itchiness
  • Burning
  • Feeling of a foreign object in your eye

If you have symptoms of eye allergies, schedule an appointment at Legacy Eye Care to get an accurate diagnosis.

How are eye allergies diagnosed?

Some conditions, like dry eye disease and blepharitis, can cause symptoms similar to eye allergies. However, the two problems require different treatment approaches, which is why you need an eye exam and testing to understand what you’re dealing with and get proper treatment.

Your eye exam may include testing of a few cells from the tissue covering your eyeball (which allows the team to check for a particular type of white blood cells inside your eyes).

How are eye allergies treated?

Treatment of eye allergies depends on your particular allergens and other individual factors. The Legacy Eye Care team can help provide recommendations for avoiding contact with your allergens.

In addition, the team can prescribe eye drops that control your symptoms effectively for those times when you just can’t avoid the allergens. Most eye drops contain an antihistamine that works to quickly diminish inflammation and discomfort.

If you have severe eye allergies and wear contact lenses, always remove your lenses when you experience an allergy flare-up. Wearing your contacts when your eyes are irritated can potentially lead to abrasions and even ulcers. It’s important to have a backup pair of glasses in an up-to-date prescription for such circumstances.

With allergen avoidance and regular use of your prescription eye drops, you can effectively manage your eye allergies. If you also have severe nasal allergies, the team may recommend seeing a specialist to discuss other treatment options like allergy shots.

If you have itchy, red, burning, and dry eyes because of allergies, take the first step toward relief by calling or booking online for the nearest Legacy Eye Care office in South Hill, Chester, or Colonial Heights, Virginia.