Hay fever - struggling with eyes

[Auburngal]

Today my eyes have been so sore and puffy. Been taking Fexofenadine 180mg, Oloapatadine 1mg eye drops twice daily and Hylo Forte eye drops. All prescribed by GP with first and third on repeat prescriptions

My eyes are so sore raw feeling. I’m struggling get eyes to be open and stay open. They are just slits when they are open.

My eyes are sensitive and ultra sensitive since having eye surgery on both of them for a visual condition.

Had cold compresses over eyes, got air purifier on in bedroom and still my eyes are really bad

Do you use SPF in your skincare? I find that exacerbates watery and sore eyes

Are you taking a daily steroid nasal spray? That helps with all the hay fever symptoms, it's not just for a runny nose.

It is really tough at the moment OP! Maybe eye drops that are for dryness as well as the medicated ones, as I think you can use them more frequently throughout the day.

We have lots of experiense in the family - one has to have a course of mild steroid FML - flourometholone (has to be prescribed) once or twice per season, otherwise it gets so bad that needs a referal to ophtalmology and a much stronger steroid in addition to olopatadine and fexofenadine.
Had to go to eye emergency on occasion when gp refused to prescribe FML, but when recommended by ophtalmologist, Gp can continue prescribing, and FML has been immensly helpful. Obviously, steroids are used for very severe cases when other options are not working.
We have also been recommended to use nasal steroid spray as it does help with eye symptoms.

If it's safe for your eyes sodium cromoglicate (eg Opticrom) is generally very effective (my hayfever is worst in my eyes).

Nasal sprays, either steroid (eg Beconase) or combined steroid and antihistamine (eg Dymista) are extremely effective if used correctly.

Have you asked your GP for Montelukast ( Singulair), OP?
It targets different inflammatory markers, Leukotrienes, not histamines. You can take it with antihistamines.

I take that for my asthma.

i’d add in beconase nasal spray but also make sure you’re showering and washing your hair as soon as you get in each day and don’t dry your clothes outside on the washing line.

These things have really made a difference to ds

Another vote for beconase. I struggle badly with hayfever and other airborne allergens. This helps my eyes so much.

I certainly don’t hang any washing out - living in a flat.

I'd agree with @user2207 about the steroids.

I tend to take a 5 day course of 30mg prednisolone once or maybe twice a season for my extreme hayfever. It gives my body a break from the symptoms and I'm then able to get on top of it again with OTC stuff.

Worth asking your GP about it, nothing else works for me. My spring/summers used to be utterly miserable but I take the prednisolone when it gets to a really bad point and then it is really quite manageable.

Glasses can help, and regularly gently washing face through the day with a gentle soap.

I wear glasses all the time.

I don’t remember having really bad eyes with previous years

I use opticrom and find it works quite well. I'm not using it at the moment as I'm more affected earlier in the year.

I tried dymista made my throat swell up. But it does work. I've had six surgeries on my eyes so panicked when my sight became blurry this year. I've never had it this bad before either @Auburngal

Obviously the GP is can't prescribe steriods for hay fever as there is a significant risk of an increase in IOP which can cause glaucoma! Where do you live?

@Auburngal ypu need to see yuor GP and explain that the current meds aren't working for your eyes. Olopatadine is an antihsitamine and a mast cell stabiliser and works for both treatment and preventative.

@theeyeofdoe Sometimes it is not just "hayfever", severe allergic conjunctivities can do a lot of damage. Steroids were first prescribed by specialist at Moorfield eye hospital in London and sometimes at Western eye hospital as an emergency, as if symptoms are not properly controlled, the surface of the eye gets inflamed and damaged (there is a medical term for that). Obviously, well aware about glaucoma risk, therefore regular (monthly) checks at the hospitals were needed at the beginning. When we established the best way to control - which usually is a short course of steroids when the symptoms are not controllable by all medications mentioned above - GP was asked to prescribe steroid on our request. We use it as minimally as possible, but it has to be used correctly and tapered - for example, 3× day for 1st week, 2×day - second and 1×day last week. Usually after that course the olopatadine + nasal spray + fexofenadine is enough for two months or so. Some years a repeated course needed, some years it is not. FML is really the mildest of steroids you can get and is very well tolerated with as minimal risk of glaucoma as possible with the correct short term use.

It can, but you're not describing normal allergic conjunctivitis.

Children can get a version of it called AKC or VKC which are severe variations of allergic conjunctivitis. They're rare and cause complications which is why steroids are prescribed.

The issue with you suggesting this is that parents can get steroids from non-UK sources and that's bad for adults and even worse for children, so it's never good to comment on eye conditions unless you know what you;re talking about.

Washing your face regularly and your hair if you've left the house can really make a difference
Obviously change outside clothes too

You have my sympathies I'm a hayfever sufferer too

Struggling with pain. Woke up and eyes not changed. Have a blurry film on vision.

Not going into work as struggling to keep eyes open

@theeyeofdoe I never suggested getting steroids elsewhere (where did you actually read that?), I suggested talking to GP (aka your family doctor) if all normally advisable measures are clearly not working. Not AKC luckily, a reaction to some pollen that start in April in our case.
The issue is that unless someone actually examines the eyes, it is not possible to say if there is an allergic inflamation that requires additional trearment or not. Therefore if no usual measures are helping, then the doctor and stronger medications, such as steroids, may be an option.

Sorry op, I have read your update that it is not better. If you are able to talk to a doctor, maybe it is worth it. They can advise which antihistamins can be combined to ease the puffiness of eye lids. Maybe pop in to opticians, they used to be able to refer if they see a bad case. I hope you find a way to deal with it.

if you’re anywhere near London, I would try to get to the Moorfields A&E. They’ve been excellent the couple of times I’ve been.

My vision was blurry this morning, eyes crusty. I'm already on four different eye drops, one a non steroid, steroid type. Wiping them with warm water helps. I've also sinus pain.

@theeyeofdoe the GP absolutely can prescribe mild doses of short-course steroids for hayfever. I'm in England and my GP has been prescribing this for me each season since 2021.

I use them absolutely minimally when I have exhausted all other options and cannot bear it any longer.

It's in my interest not to overuse them. If my body gets too used to a medication it will stop being so effective and then I'll have even fewer options available to me, so it's not something I take lightly.

I think if the GP can see that you've tried everything else and nothing's working they will be sympathetic. My GP can see that I've been struggling with this for twenty years and that I've tried everything else going so is happy to prescribe them for me.

@hellogood the issue with GPs prescribing steroids for the eyes is that they don't have the machinery to check the pressure and you could be one of those people who responds negatively to steroids which puts you at risk of glaucomatous optic nerve damage due to increased IOP.

@justasking111 are you the OP have you name changed?
What was the original condition you had your eyes operated on for?