Your nine year old comes in from play and keeps rubbing his eyes. You look and are frightened to see what looks like a large blister on the white of the eye. This is springtime allergies at their worst.
What to do:
Stop rubbing. This increases the itching and swelling reaction.
Apply a cool compress. This will help the swelling to subside. A brief time out with a cool compress can work miracles.
Consider prevention. Use an antihistamine tablet before exposure to the allergy causing substance. Follow dosing recommendations on the label because children often take less. Antihistamines deactivate the cells that cause the swelling in the first place. New prescription antihistamines may cause less drowsiness.
Try an over the counter eye drop that contains an antihistamine. The effect of these drops is however limited to the tissues of the eye. Like the antihistamine tablets this type of drop works best if used before exposure. These drops include Naphcon A, Opcon A, Visine Allergy etc. Do not use these drops with contact lenses in place.
If symptoms persist, see your eye doctor and ask him to prescribe one of the new advanced allergy drops.
Enjoy an itch free spring and the longer days ahead.
