Are you really bothered by itchy, watery, red eyes more
and more these days?
As pollen season really gets underway, this time of year many patients come
to see us complaining about red, itchy and watery eyes. These are the typical
symptoms of eye allergies. Even with a thorough and careful exam of the ocular
surface it can be a challenge to distinguish between ocular allergy and dry eye
disease or other ocular surface problems. While we have made good progress in
dry eye testing and diagnosis, up until now trying to find the cause of eye
allergies and watery itchy eyes often required intradermal testing by an
allergist. These intradermal tests use multiple injections to try and find the
cause and it isn’t terribly comfortable or convenient for patients. Now, we are
able to do in office testing with a new
liquid antigen eye allergy, This is a novel, FDA approved, pain-free way to
test if a patient is allergic to up to 60 different ocular allergens with “no
needle and no injections.”
About the New Liquid Antigen Eye Allergy Test
The new eye allergy test uses
liquid antigens on a plastic applicator that is placed on the patient’s forearm
with gentle pressure-and it provides results in less than 15 minutes. If the
patient is allergic to a particular allergen there is a small hive that forms
on their forearm. By more accurately determining if and to which antigens a
patient is allergic to it gives us the ability to identify where the antigens
might be present in the patient’s environment and deal with them accordingly,
along with the eye symptoms and signs of the allergy. This in office testing is covered by almost all major health insurance
companies.
Help for Red Itchy Eye Allergies
Knowing the cause of the
allergies helps us to determine the best course of treatment. Sometimes oral
antihistamines alone or with antihistamine or steroid eye drops are necessary
whereas in other cases we simply need to counsel and advise the patient to
remove and avoid the source of the allergen in their home or workplace. If you have allergies that cause you
to experience symptoms such as itchy watery eyes you may be one of a great many
allergy sufferers who could benefit from the advances in the diagnosis and
treatment of allergies.
If you or someone you know
suffers from itchy, red, watery eyes or eye allergies please feel free to call Doctor & Associates-203-227-4113,
visit Doctor & Associates
in Fairfield County or facebook.com/doctorandassociates to schedule an appointment.
Doctor & Associates offices are located at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.
Doctor & Associates offices are located at 129 Kings Highway North, Westport, Connecticut 06880, 195 Danbury Road, Wilton, Connecticut 06897 and 148 East Avenue, Norwalk, Connecticut 06851.
