Eye allergies

People with allergy to inhaled allergens can have also eye allergies called allergic conjunctivitis.

Seasonal and perennial allergic conjunctivitis

These are the most common expression of eye allergy and are very often associated with allergic rhinitis.  The symptoms can be very disturbing, but even when they are very severe and last for long periods of time they don’t cause permanent sight impairment.  People with allergic conjunctivitis have red, itchy and watery eyes and swollen eye lids; some people are also sensitive to light.

Seasonal allergic conjunctivitis is caused mainly by pollens but moulds can also be a trigger. Symptoms occur only when the allergens are present in the air and are absent for the rest of the year. They are usually more severe than in perennial allergic conjunctivitis which can be milder but last more or less all year round because is caused by perennial allergens such as house dust mites or animal allergens.

Practical advice for allergic conjunctivitis sufferers

• Stay away from the allergens that cause your problem.
• Avoid eye irritants.
• Take your treatment every day and for as long as your doctor has recommended.
• If you have conjunctivitis caused by contact lenses, replace your contact lenses with glasses. Your symptoms might get better when using new contact lenses but as they age the symptoms will worsen again.

Other types of eye allergy

Other types of eye allergy can have more severe outcomes, with permanent sight impairment.   Luckily these are rare. Symptoms are usually more severe: there is marked itching, intense redness of the eye, stringy eye secretions that make the eyes sticky especially in the morning and sometimes, eye pain. The vision is often blurred and people complain of a sensation of sand in the eyes. The inflammation is so severe that it often causes erosions of the eye lining. These wounds eventually heal with scarring which is responsible for the sight loss or damage.

Vernal kerato-conjunctivitis

Vernal kerato-conjunctivitis (VKC or vernal catarrh) is one of these rare forms. It occurs mainly in children and young adults living in warmer climates. In Europe, it occurs mostly in the Mediterranean basin where it seems to be associated with allergy to olive pollen. In most cases, the disease disappears after puberty but this does not mean that it should not be treated (left untreated it causes permanent sight problems in most people).

Atopic kerato-conjunctivitis

This is another rare and severe eye allergic condition which, unlike VKC, tends to last all life long. It occurs mostly in people with allergic eczema, especially when it involves the face and eye lids. Eye involvement is usually very severe and sight threatening.

Giant papillary conjunctivitis

This is another rare form of allergic conjunctivitis, occurring mainly in people wearing contact lenses (of any type). Other foreign bodies present in the eye (such as eye prostheses or surgical sutures) can also be the cause of the disease.

If contact lenses are the cause, symptoms can occur after weeks, months or even years of wearing them.  The eyes feel itchy, particularly when removing the lenses and you might notice that you tolerate the lenses less well than usual.