Spring Is In the Air! Avoid Itchy, Irritated Eyes

I’m really super excited about spring and warmer weather! I’m not really super excited about the dry itchiness that always seems to accompany this change in seasons. I don’t have traditional seasonal allergies. However, my eyes definitely feel the change in seasons, especially when transitioning from winter to spring. I don’t know about you, but I don’t actually need anything else bothering my eyes.

My eyes have enough going on already

Between wearing my often-uncomfortable contacts and the everyday struggles I face with my vision, it’s important to me to keep my eyes feeling as healthy as possible. Itchy, gunky, and watery eyes are not something I have to just accept. Over the years, I’ve come up with a sort of routine that helps to keep my spring eye irritation at bay. If you’re struggling with similar spring symptoms, read on to see what you can try to get them under control.

Use preemptive allergy medication

I take generic over-the-counter allergy medication daily during the spring months to alleviate any allergy-like symptoms in my eyes. I mentioned earlier that I don’t have seasonal allergies, but that doesn’t mean that my eyes aren’t irritated by the pollen and allergens in their air. I’ve found that taking one of these a day relieves a lot of the itchiness from my eyes.

Use eye drops to keep your eyes moist

It’s also helpful to keep your eyes moist. I use over-the-counter rewetting drops for this, as well as an allergy drop before bed. The drops my optometrist recommended to me are called Pataday. These used to be prescription-only, but they’re now available over the counter! I have noticed a huge and consistent difference when waking up in the mornings after using these drops. If I don’t use them, my eyes are itchy from the get-go and even gunky sometimes.

Give your eyes a break

I wear my contacts during all waking hours of the day. Usually, this isn’t much of a problem for me. But in the spring, I notice that my eyes seem to be more bothered the longer I have my contacts in. I make it a point to give my eyes a break and wear my glasses more for this reason. I put them on earlier in the night and try to keep them on longer in the mornings before starting the day.

Make sure to remove any cosmetics

I’ve also found that my eyes get irritated more often when I don’t remove my makeup before bed, mainly my mascara and eyeliner. This is a good habit to get into for all seasons, not just spring. However, since my eyes are more irritated in the spring, I am more diligent about removing my makeup each night. No skipping when I feel too tired to do it!

Avoid rubbing your eyes when they itch

Remember when we were kids and our parents told us not to rub our eyes when they itch? Well, I'm here to say it again. The concept is really simple - the more you itch your eyes, the itchier they get. Also, rubbing our eyes does put them at risk for tears, so we have to be cautious of that as well. If I feel like I need to rub my eyes, I grab my drops or I take a warm compress to soothe my eyes.

Keep the air in your home clean

Air filters

It's important to change the air filters in our homes in order to keep the air clean. Depending on the type of filter you use, this is done either monthly or quarterly. If you're anything like me, it's hard to remember to replace these filters, so this is your reminder! You can purchase filters that specifically filter common allergens.

Air purifiers

You can also use an air purifier in specific rooms in your home that you are in more frequently, like living rooms and bedrooms. These can also help to filter out allergens and purify the air we breathe during the spring!

I hope these tips and tricks help to alleviate some of your spring eye irritation. If you have any other tips, please comment with them!
Andrea Junge