Dr. Louise Achey
Years ago, I bought my dream car, a classic jet-black 1985 Jeep CJ7 hardtop. I can still remember a mid-August Saturday afternoon when my husband Charlie and I took the top off the Jeep and drove through the backroads of central Ohio. Moist earth greeted us as we cruised by rows of tall stalks of corn alternating with lush fields of bushy soybeans.
Saturday afternoon was magic, but Sunday morning was a nightmare. When I woke up, my nose was stuffed up nose, and my eyes itched like fire.
What could have set off my allergies? The only thing I’m allergic to is ragweed, and we drove past corn and soybeans.
I hate to tell you, honey, but we definitely drove past ragweed yesterday. I saw TONS of it growing thick in the ditches by the sides of the road.
Aaargh!
If you need to soothe the discomfort of itchy eyes from allergies gone wild, you’ll find several eye drops available without a prescription. How do you choose the best one?
Lubricating eye drops can ease the burning and help relieve dryness. Systane®, GenTeal®, or Refresh® help reduce the ìsand in your eyes feeling by flushing pesky pollens away, but can’t shut down your allergic reaction once it starts.
Decongestant eye drops help your eyes look less red or bloodshot by shrinking the blood vessels in the whites of your eyes. They can help reduce puffiness around your eyelids but don’t help reduce allergic reactions.
Naphazoline is the only decongestant eye drop available without a prescription. Sold as Naphcon, it's also available combined with an antihistamine, such as Visine-A® and Naphcon-A® ("A" means antihistamine). Eye drops containing naphazoline can cause trigger dry eyes and aggravate certain types of glaucoma, threatening your vision. Because of this risk, avoid using naphazoline eye drops for more than 3 days at a time. If you have glaucoma, you should avoid using naphazoline eye drops completely.
Antihistamine eye drops help reverse eye itching and swelling from allergies. Pheniramine maleate is an antihistamine available in both Visine-A® and Naphcon-A® eye drops. Because these eye drops also contain the decongestant naphazoline, they should only be used for 3-5 days at a time.
The most effective eye drops to use when allergies strike is ketotifen. Ketotifen works both by helping prevent an allergic reaction and by calming it down once it starts.
When you encounter something you are allergic to, it triggers a chain reaction leading to redness, swelling, and itching. This reaction is triggered by a chemical called histamine. Your body stores histamine in specialized cells called mast cells. When it recognizes pollen or cat dander as something you are allergic to, these mast cells open up and release histamine into your bloodstream, creating the misery of an allergic reaction.
Medicines called mast cell stabilizers BLOCK this chain reaction from getting started because they keep histamine locked up inside your mast cells. Ketotifen and olopatadine are mast cell stabilizers used in eye drops. Thanks to them, I can drive past ditches full of blooming ragweed without suffering the next day, because they can keep histamine safely inside my mast cells.
Ketotifen and olopatadine have other effects than keeping histamine safe inside your mast cells. They also work as antihistamines to prevent and relieve allergic reactions. Once sold as the prescription drug Zatidor®, ketotifen is also available as Alaway® brand eye drops. Prescription-strength olopatadine (Pataday®) is now available without a prescription.
Here are 4 Tips on Using Eye Drops for Allergies:
1. Avoid naphazoline eye drops.
Decongestant eye drops don’t address the allergic reaction and only reduce redness. Limit your use of naphazoline eye drops to three days at a time, and avoid it entirely if you have glaucoma.
2. Choose ketotifen (Zatidor®) or olopatadine (Pataday®) eye drops for best results.
Ketotifen and olopatadine work both as antihistamines and mast cell stabilizers to relieve itchy eyes. They are also safe to use in children as young as 2 or 3 years old.
3. Use only one drop in each eye.
Any more than one drop at a time will just run out and be wasted. Wait a bit before giving yourself another dose.
4. Keep it clean.
Always wash your hands first and avoid touching the tip of the dropper directly to your eye or to any other surface.
Dr. Louise Achey, Doctor of Pharmacy, is a 40-year veteran of pharmacology and author of Why Dogs Can’t Eat Chocolate: How Medicines Work and How YOU Can Take Them Safely. Check out her NEW website TheMedicationInsider.com for daily tips on how to take your medicine safely.
®2020 Louise Achey
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here