Watery Eyes?!?!!?

I’ve seen several people this week and talked to even more about the fact that their eyes have started watering spontaneously. All of the sudden, out of nowhere, it seems as if they can’t stop crying. Funny, Mrs. Jones…you were here last year with the exact same problem during the exact same season. This is a sign that I have done a poor job of educating my patients that they have ocular allergies. Many people can be relatively symptom free 90% of the time. However, most have mild symptoms throughout the year that they just DEAL with. To be honest, my philosophy is “The least amount of “stuff” in the body, the better.” However, if your own family is avoiding you for fear of contracting your horendous eye infection that has left you crying like a baby, you should come see. Avoid taking systemic over the counter allergy tablets if the symptoms are primarily in your eyes. When you think about it, doesn’t it seem silly to swallow something that needs to be processed through all your other organs before reaching your eyes? There are some amazing treatments for the eyes alone. Because the drainage system of the eyes flows from the eyes, into the nose and then into the throat, it probably would not suprise you to learn that many allergies actually START in the eyes and then get progressively worse as they move internally. Therefore, we can VERY OFTEN eliminate most allergies by treating them at the source, the eyes! One great remedy is Pataday.

This medication is dosed in ONE SINGLE DROP per day. It is ideal for contact lens wearers because it can be inserted before your day begins! Its important to remember that many allergy medications, including some of the most popular available over the counter, are TWO phase medications. One phase, or one component of the medication, is designed to provide acute itch relief. This comes in the form of an anti-histamine. The other phase or component is often a mast-cell stabilizer. This components takes about a week of continuous use to build up in your system. The mast-cell stabilizer actually prevents an allergic reaction from occuring. Therefore, continued use of this medication throughout your allergy season will dramatically reduce your symptoms.

This year has been particularly rough on many of my allergy patients. Often, we need to supplement the ocular treatment with a systemic one and we are happy to help you in that regard. If you are having symptoms causing you to cry like a baby, please talk you to your optometrist soon! The problem is easier to treat the earlier we diagnose it! Not sure if your problem is bad enough to warrant treatment? Consider an on line evaluation that allows you to input your symptoms and rates the severity of your problem. One site with such a evaluation is HERE.