Healthy Lives, Healthy Eyes: Eye Allergy or Eye Infection?
Ah, spring – longer days, warmer weather, flowers, baby animals, and... allergies. It can be hard to tell the difference between your run-of-the-mill hay fever, and something more serious like an eye infection.
So we’re here to clear the air (figuratively, not literally, unfortunately), help you understand the signs of both, and when to make an appointment.
What are eye allergies?
The good news is that most seasonal allergies can be treated with over-the-counter eye drops, decongestants, and antihistamines. An eye infection is more serious and should be diagnosed and treated by an optometrist immediately. The symptoms listed below will help you know if you need a quick trip to CVS or your eye doctor:
Eye allergy symptoms
- Almost always both eyes will show symptoms
- Light redness, more pink than red
- Itchiness, especially in towards your nose
- Very little to no discharge
- Some light sensitivity above normal
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Eye infections symptoms
- Almost always only one eye will show symptoms
- Redness will be much more prominent
- Very sensitive to light
- Eye is not dilating (sometimes)
- Discharge or heavy watering
- Seeing flashes of light
- Sometimes swelling will encircle the eye (top and bottom eyelid)
Remember, eye allergies are a breeze with a little over-the-counter medication, eye infections mean something should be done by your optometrist. If you have an eye infection, do not wear your contacts until the issue is resolved.
To learn more about this topic, we invite you to check out this article written by the American Academy of Ophthalmology on eye allergies.
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