Hay Fever and Contact Lenses: Help!
Isn’t that summer weather wonderful? Finally getting outside to enjoy it again. But the sunshine doesn’t smile on everyone. As alders and birches peak in spring and grasses bloom in the summer months, that clear blue sky fills with pollen. Combined with little rain, it creates a very unpleasant effect for many people: hay fever!
Are you a hay fever sufferer yourself? Then the purple pollen map is the most feared alert phase for you: extremely high pollen in the air. Sneezing, sniffles, red itchy eyes. This might be some consolation, but it can still get worse: hay fever and contact lenses.
Extra Irritated
Huh? That doesn’t sound logical. A lens should give extra protection, right? That’s true—except if you’re allergic to pollen. If you wear contact lenses, your eyes become even more irritated with hay fever. Ironically, this is due to one of the appealing properties of lenses: their porous design. Because contact lenses let oxygen through and retain moisture, they offer optimal comfort. But that also allows pollen to get in and settle behind your lenses.
This settling pollen triggers an added allergic reaction in people with hay fever. Your body automatically produces extra proteins, which then end up in your tears. The result: itchiness and even more irritation as lenses clog up. Your eyes start watering from the irritation, hoping to flush out all the irritants, but unfortunately that doesn’t help.
Hay Fever Control
So, can’t you wear contact lenses until pollen season ends? Only glasses from now on? Not at all—fortunately there are several solutions. First of all, prevention is better than cure. So try to minimize exposure to pollen. Easier said than done, but there are definitely ways to do this.
- Put on sunglasses. They shield your eyes well, especially when it’s windy.
- Wash your hands thoroughly and dry them with a clean towel when putting in and taking out your lenses.
- Shower before bedtime.
- Change your bedding regularly. If you prefer to air out your bed linens, do it early in the morning when pollen levels in the air are at their lowest.
Additional Tips
What else can you do to combat irritated eyes?
- Do you wear lenses for extended periods? Try daily disposables during hay fever season. Pollen has less time to settle behind your lenses because you use fresh lenses every day.
- Night lenses can also be a good solution. These lenses correct your vision overnight. While you sleep, you’re not affected by pollen, and you won’t need to wear contact lenses during the day.
- You can also use eye drops to ease the symptoms somewhat. By properly hydrating—and thereby rinsing—your eyes, you can partially ward off the complaints.
Most Effective Solution
Behavior changes and useful tips will certainly help if you wear contact lenses and suffer from hay fever. But wouldn’t it be great if next hay fever season you no longer had those irritating, clogged lenses?
The most effective solution is not having to wear contact lenses anymore. Is that possible? Absolutely—choose a lens- or glasses-replacement treatment such as laser eye surgery or lens implantation. It won’t cure your hay fever, but your symptoms will be much milder the next time it’s code purple. And that’s not even counting all the other benefits of life without lenses or glasses, like more freedom of movement, the ease of seeing with your own eyes again, no hassle during sports, and saying goodbye to the high long-term costs of lenses.
The good news is that hay fever doesn’t pose any obstacle to having such a procedure. Your eyes do need to meet certain criteria, though. You can check your suitability with a free pre-examination. At the end of the exam you’ll hear right away whether you qualify for laser eye surgery or implantable lenses. After that, all you need to do is follow the tips provided to keep your hay fever under control!