allergic conjunctivitis

i live in the waikato region of New Zealand. A friends daughter suffers from allergic conjunctivitis. Apparently this is uncommon in New Zealand, only a few other children suffer from this condition. Anyone who has dealt with this, we would love some feedback on treatment ideas.

Thankyou all.

[adrienurse, LPN]

I get this from time to time (only when I work long stretches, something in my facility disagrees with me). I use Na Chromoglycate (cromolyn) eye gtts. They work well for me.

[purplemania, BSN, RN]

gtts with antihistamine are great, but may cause rebound if overused. Artificial Tears without preservatives (one bottle per person!) reduces amt of allergens in eye, increases lubrication and reduces chance of secondary infection. Clean hands help. Warm compresses after sleeping. Cool compresses when inflammed. Or move to Arizona (tsk).

[mageean]

I suffer quite a bit from this (and blepharitis) and have tried many different preparations. I find that regular (morning and evening) warm compresses and Amadine antihistamine drops work best for me. My opthamologist also periodically gives me a light steriod cream for eczematous skin around my eyes.

It is a real irritating condition.

[rachel h, BSN, RN]

Yuck- I thought I was the only one. I use Naphcon eye gtts- they have an antihistamine in them that really helps. I also use the real thick regular eye gtts- it's almost like a gel- to keep my eyes from getting dry and itchy. That seems to work well. Also benadryl if they itch too much, but then I can plan on sleeping all day. It is really annoying. The best advice I can give is DON'T rub them, no matter how much they itch... they will not stop itching if you rub them. I just use a warm compress on my eyes when they itch- seems to help. Hope this helps!

[Jolie, BSN]

My daughter had a bout with this last spring when her allergies were out of control. The pediatrician ordered drops with some type of steriod in them, along with adjusting her allergy meds to include Zyrtec and Nosonex. So far this year, so good!

[Liann]

Being around cigarete smoke always makes my eyes turn red and act up with that scratchy dry feeling. I have used many steroid drops but find that the simple Artificial Tears stuff helps most.

Plus...the Opthamologist warned that steroid drops can increase ocular pressure...I dont need that....sometimes the cure is worse than the disease!!!