Dear Alice:
Like many others during this season, I have been suffering from allergies for past week or so. I have the usual indications such as runny nose, sneezing, and watery eyes. I have been taking over-the-counter medicine, and it seems to work well for sneez
ing and runny nose. However, I often find my eyes very itchy and watery. It bothers me a lot since I need to study. But, with my irritated eyes, it is sometimes difficult to read for a long time.
Do you know of any medicine that would help me? Also, sometimes I wash my eyes with cold water when they bother me. It seems to help a little, but does not last very long. Do you recommend using eyedrops like Visine?
Signed,
Suffering from allergies
Dear Suffering from allergies,
Popular over-the-counter eye drops have special allergy relief
formulas. Alice cannot swear by them; however, they are known to offer
symptomatic relief of swollen, red, and itchy eyes. The drops
are fairly inexpensive and are available at your drug
store. Check for a drop with an ingredient called Naphazolin -- this is
the common chemical in prescription drops; a reputed doctor mentioned
that it may well be offered over-the-counter now. Do not use any eye
drops over long periods of time, however, as these products may cause
damage and retard healing. Some also say that putting damp tea bags over
your closed eyes offers relief. Apparently, there is some soothing
property in the tannic acid of the tea. In any case, if nothing works and
you really need relief, go see a doc at Health Services and get a
prescription for allergy eye drops. Call x4-2284 for an appointment, or
just walk-in.
- Alice
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Allergy eye relief?
