The small town of Bourbonnais in Chicago has excellent optometrists. A Bourbonnais general optometry practice should offer treatment for eye allergies.
Eye allergies occur when your eyes react adversely to an allergen. The allergen might not be particularly hazardous, but the immune system perceives it as so.
Common symptoms of eye allergies include itching, redness, and burning sensations in the eye. There may be some discharge due to the allergy in some cases.
Seeing an optometrist will help you treat allergic reactions in your eye. However, you can do a lot to manage eye allergies, including:
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1. Wear Protective Gear Outdoors
The first step in managing eye allergies is to prevent them. You can do so by wearing protective eye gear whenever you step outside.
Sunglasses and other eyewear that covers your eyes reduces the number of allergens that can get into and affect your eyes. You should particularly wear protective gear if you are going to a place with many elements that could trigger your allergies.
Prevention is better than cure, and though the protective gear might not be 100% effective, it will be beneficial in avoiding allergic reactions.
2. Stay Indoors When Necessary
The most common allergen that causes eye allergies in human beings is pollen from plants. Most plants are seasonal and produce pollen during certain times of the year.
When there is a high amount of pollen in the air, you should stay indoors as much as you can. It will simply help avoid any pollen from getting into your eyes.
Pollen is usually plentiful in the morning and evenings, when pollination is most active. Avoiding being outside during those times could help with the severity of your allergic reaction.
3. Keep Your House Allergen-Free
When staying indoors, allergens like pollen and mold can still enter your house. It is inevitable as long as there is a sufficient amount of airflow in your home.
If so, you should keep your house as allergen-free as possible. For starters, you should use fans or air conditioning that blows allergens out of your home.
You should also check your air conditioning to ensure that it is clean and that no allergens circulate in your house. The air conditioning’s air filters are the most important part to clean in this regard.
4. Keep Humidity Low
Many modern homes contain a humidifier that adjusts the level of humidity in the house. The higher the humidity, the more at risk you of developing allergic eye problems.
Between 30 and 50 percent humidity in your home should be perfect. However, you may have to lower it in often damp areas, such as your basement.
Keeping your home clean will also help significantly in keeping the allergen count low.
5. Don’t Rub Your Eyes
Rubbing your eyes when you feel some irritation is an instinctive response. It is extremely difficult to avoid touching them in such situations.
However, rubbing your eyes may deliver allergens to your eyes since your hands come into contact with many surfaces. Moreover, rubbing your eyes if you already have an allergy will only make it worse.
