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Contact lenses may provide the person who wears them with a  wonderful new lease on his/her life as long as that person is careful with them and attends to his/her eye care in order to avoid problems and continue to use the lenses for a longer period of time. But a person who suffers from eye allergies and who also wear contact lenses will have to take extra care in order not to worsen his/her condition. An eye allergy causes discomfort and visual impairment but, with a proper care, its effects can be prevent and limited in a significant way. Eye allergy occurs as a direct reaction to non-parasitic antigens or allergens. Dust mites, mold or pollen are among the most common allergen that may trigger allergic reaction in the eyes – the conjunctiva of the eyes become inflamed and itchy. It seems that common allergens are particularly attracted to contact lenses because these lenses act like a real sponge thus attracting allergens and various deposits. This is the main reason why a wearer must thoroughly disinfect and clean his/her contact lenses and make sure that follows all the instructions provided by the personal eye care practitioner. The main eye allergy symptoms include burning, swollen eyes, itchy, red and tearing eyes. The person suffering from an eye allergy will have the feeling that something is in his/her eyes and can also experience a blurry vision together with feeling tired and distracted. The persons who wear contact lenses may experience 3 common allergic conditions - atopic keratoconjunctivitis, vernal keratoconjunctivitis and giant papillary conjunctivitis. The third one is regarded as being the most common reaction among contact lens wearers and it causes the eyes to feel irritated and itchy. This condition can be triggered by the deposits that accumulate on the lens or by the strong reaction to all the preservatives that can be found in the solutions used to clean the contact lenses. So, if you continue to wear your contact lenses even if you experience the symptoms caused by this allergic condition, you are very likely to experience redness, irritation and itchiness quite often. Sometimes, the only way to avoid these symptoms is by removing your contact lenses. You should know that treating this condition is very likely to involve suspending your contact lenses wear in order for things to improve. Here are some tips for you to follow in order to alleviate your eye allergy symptoms. - Do not rub your eyes because this will worsen your condition. Instead, you should place a cool cloth right on your eyes in order to ease the nasty itching.
- Also, you should make sure that you wash your hands with plenty of water and soap.
- You need to wash your bedding in hot water in order to reduce all the possible allergens.
- Avoid wearing make-up as well and do not share your contact lenses with anyone. Limiting the length of time you are wearing your lenses is a wise idea as well – try wearing your glasses part time and contact lenses part time as well.
- Also, you must discuss with an eye care professional in order to get a replacement and cleaning schedule that can meet your needs.
- Eye drops are to be used only if recommended by your doctor. Also, you must use storage and rinsing solutions that don’t contain already known eye allergens such as thimerosal.
Photo - Flickr,http://www.flickr.com/photos/82832950@N00/486108006
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