Allergies can be very annoying. But what makes it even more unbearable is seeing one of your kids suffer the symptoms. Thankfully, there are safe allergy eye drops for kids to put parents’ minds at ease. Eye allergy is common in children; in fact, about 10% of the kids’ population shows signs. If your kids have watery eyes and itchy eyes, it would be best to bring them to their doctor right away. You can ask the Mornington Peninsula Eye Clinic team how to manage allergies.

Eye Allergy Triggers in Kids

The allergy symptoms might show due to different reasons. Typically, it is caused by allergens that float in the air. Because they are lightweight, it’s easy for them to get in contact with the eyes. Allergens have various kinds such as:

• House dust. Sometimes, the leading cause of allergies is right within your home. House dust is composed of thousands of allergens. People with pets typically bring pet dander with them without their knowing. Moreover, if your home is humid, there is a chance that molds start to grow. While it’s hard to make your house 100 percent dust-free thoroughly, cleaning regularly would help.
• Furry pets. As much as we hate to admit it, kids also get allergies from their beloved pets. Pets have allergens in their fur, and it goes up in the air eventually. If you notice that your child is showing allergy symptoms despite your diligent house cleaning efforts, it’s time to consider if their pet is the cause.
• Pollen. Molds, trees, and grass are usually the pollens that cause eye allergies in kids. However, pollens come in seasons. For instance, grass pollens are prominent during summer, while tree pollens are most active during spring.

Allergy Symptoms

Kids and adults can both show signs of eye allergy. The symptoms might include the following:

• itchy eyes
• watery eyes
• pink or red eyes
• mucus discharge
• eye rubbing
• swollen eyes

Treatment Options

Their doctor will have to conduct diagnostic exams to check if your child’s symptoms are actually due to eye allergy. Because sometimes, eye allergy is interchanged with other eye diseases such as pink eye and eye inflammation.

Here are some of the ways for you to treat eye allergies:

• Use warm water to remove allergens from your face and skin.
• kids can use eye drops if the allergy symptoms are only stimulated in the eyes.
• Prescribed eye drops for kids are given once a day only. One eye drop is good for the next 24 hours or so.
• If the allergic reactions are severe, doctors will prescribe eye drops for allergy along with other medication. This happens if a runny nose and cough accompany the allergy.
• If your kids are wearing contact lenses, be sure to have the lens cleaned regularly. Dander and pollens can stay longer in their eyes because the lens accumulates them over time.

Other things to remember.

Generally, eye allergy in kids typically goes away with eye drops. But if not, you also opt to give your kids oral antihistamine. However, be cautious in giving medicine, ask the pharmacist about the proper dosage for kids.

Kids over three years of age can have one eye drop every 12 hours in both eyes. Use the eye drops until their allergy symptoms subside. If your child wears contact lenses, lit would be better to switch them to eyeglasses first. Pollens can cause eye irritation, and wearing a lens can make the situation worse. Eyeglasses will help in reducing irritation; plus, they can be an effective shield for their eyes too.

If the mentioned methods did not work, you might opt to call your kids’ doctor if:

• the treatment did not work in two days
• your child’s performance is getting affected
• the eye allergy becomes worse despite the eye drops

Furthermore, the best way to prevent eye allergies is by avoiding their causes. Consulting your eye doctor on the best prevention methods will significantly help as well.

References:

Eye – Allergy- https://www.seattlechildrens.org/conditions/a-z/eye-allergy/

Eye Allergies and Children– https://wyo-opto.com/eye-allergies-and-children-2/