Eye drops for allergic conjunctivitis

Allergies include many factors, such as skin allergies. The most common symptom is small eczema on the skin. Some people also develop conjunctivitis due to allergies. Conjunctivitis is a relatively important part of the eyes. If there is a problem with the eyes, it may affect your normal vision. Therefore, patients must know that drug treatment is the best. At the same time, they must also understand the related hazards of allergic conjunctivitis.

Medication

The purpose of treatment is to alleviate clinical symptoms and avoid sequelae, while attention should be paid to avoiding the occurrence of iatrogenic complications.

1. General treatment: Avoiding allergens is the most ideal and effective treatment, but it is sometimes difficult to achieve. Contact with possible allergens should be avoided as much as possible. For example, remove rags and blankets from the room, pay attention to bed hygiene, use pesticides to eliminate insect mites in the room, avoid staying in the countryside during the pollen transmission season, try to avoid contact with grass, stop wearing or replace high-quality contact lenses and care solutions, etc.

Applying cold compresses to the eyelids may provide temporary relief. Flushing the conjunctival sac with saline can neutralize the pH of tears and dilute the antigens in the tears. Wearing dark glasses to reduce sunlight stimulation; living in an air-conditioned room during hot seasons and staying in cool, dry climates or high latitudes can be helpful in the treatment of spring keratoconjunctivitis and atopic keratoconjunctivitis. Patients are advised not to rub their eyes, as this may lead to mast cell degradation and corneal epithelial damage.

2. Medication

(1) Antihistamines: They mainly target histamine H1 receptors to exert their therapeutic effects, and their effects are usually better than mast cell stabilizers, especially during attacks of allergic conjunctivitis. Antihistamines are usually used topically. Commonly used eye drops include 0.1% Emedastine, 0.05% Levocabastine, 0.1% Olopatadine, and 0.5% Ketorolac. If there are extraocular symptoms, oral medications can be used, but their effect is not as good as topical medications. In addition, systemic medications carry the risk of side effects; some patients may experience choleretic symptoms or sedative behavior and may induce cardiac arrhythmias. Therefore, special attention should be paid to patients who are engaged in work such as driving and working at heights. If given at night, sedation is often beneficial, especially in children, so oral antihistamines are best taken at night, before bedtime. Commonly used ones include diphenhydramine, chlorpheniramine, promethazine, etc.

The dangers of allergic conjunctivitis

When allergic conjunctivitis occurs, patients will feel extremely itchy eyes, causing them to be unable to concentrate, seriously affecting their work and life. Children's studies will be affected as a result.

Visual impact. General allergic conjunctivitis will not have any effect on vision, and most cases can be cured in a short period of time. However, some vernal keratoconjunctivitis and atopic conjunctivitis can cause corneal complications and even endanger vision. In severe cases, it may lead to blindness.

Affect people's quality of life. Symptoms caused by allergic conjunctivitis include itching, pain, edema, etc. It will affect the patient's psychology and life. This results in a reduction in the quality of life of patients and their families.

Can trigger other allergic diseases. Patients with allergic conjunctivitis have allergic constitutions, which may lead to other allergic diseases such as allergic rhinitis and allergic asthma, further increasing the burden on patients.

Strictly speaking, allergic reactions not only cause allergic conjunctivitis, but also affect other parts of the eye, resulting in more eye disease manifestations, some of which have more serious consequences. Generally allergic conjunctivitis has no effect on vision. Except for a few children whose vision may be affected by the lesions involving the cornea (black pupil), generally allergic conjunctivitis will not cause great harm to vision. Most can be cured in a short time. However, spring conjunctivitis will recur many times and last for several years as you age before gradually stopping.

Precautions

Conjunctivitis is a common and frequently occurring ophthalmic disease, among which allergic conjunctivitis is the most common. It is caused by allergies, and its incidence rate further increases with the use of eye cosmetics, wearing contact lenses, increased air pollution and other factors. Therefore, correctly understanding allergic conjunctivitis and rational use of medication are indispensable parts of protecting the window of our soul.