3 Ways to Deal with Annoying Allergy Eyes

By Sarah Parker Ward

You’re sitting in a meeting conquering action items when your eyes start to water for no apparent reason. Soon, they’re itchy and inflamed, and you’re doing your best not to look ridiculous with sunglasses on inside. Welcome to allergy eyes! This annoying condition can unfortunately strike at anytime, but with a few solutions up your sleeve, you can stay prepared.

What Causes Allergy Eyes?

Allergy eyes are caused by an adverse immune reaction to certain substances. The triggers could be outdoor allergens including pollen, indoor allergens such as pet dander or dust mites, or simply other specific irritants like cigarette smoke or a type of perfume.

Just as there are a range of possible triggers, there are also a variety of allergy eye symptoms that may strike. First, it may or may not be associated with other common allergy symptoms like sneezing or a runny nose. What’s more, allergy eyes can manifest in different ways, from redness to inflammation, itchiness to teary discharge.

Call-out: Want help identifying your triggers? Looking for a high pollen warning? Download the ZYRTEC® AllergyCast® app to monitor certain triggers and track your symptoms. Standard data rates apply.

Know Your Symptoms

The lesson here? While you and your friend may both be suffering from the peskiness of allergy eyes, you might experience entirely different symptoms. These pictures of allergy eyes can help you understand the different ways allergy eyes can look:

Red Eyes

Watery Eyes

Eye Inflammation

How to Get Rid of Allergy Eyes

Naturally, allergy eyes are something you’ll want to be done with as soon as possible – and, lucky for you, there are a few different solutions.

Minimize Trigger Contact: Whatever your specific trigger, take action to avoid exposure. If pollen is your undoing, stay inside during peak pollen periods and use sunglasses when you must go out. If dust mites or mold are the culprits, be extra diligent about your cleaning routine.
Take an Oral Antihistamine: An over-the-counter like ZYRTEC^® Tablets can provide 24-hour relief from your itchy, watery allergy eye symptoms, and can also alleviate other common allergy symptoms that you may be experiencing at the same time like sneezing, itchy throat, and runny nose.
Use an Allergy-Fighting Eye Drop: Try VISINE^®-A MULTI-ACTION EYE ALLERGY Relief, an antihistamine-containing eye drop solution that is clinically proven to relieve itchy, red eyes.

Allergy eyes are a real pain that can throw an unsightly wrench in your day, so consider keeping these solutions on hand to stay prepared.

Third-party references and links provided in this article are for educational purposes only. No sponsorship or endorsement is implied. Information was used from the American College of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology.