hayfever question: fishy eyes!!! NHS Direct too busy to answer non-emergency call. Help?

[Numberfour]

I am a fairly new hay fever sufferer. Only been about 4 years or so. My one eye has become extremely uncomfortable today after a 30 Min outing to the park with DS and child minded school boy.

I have been prescribed Optilast and have had 2 drops this pm.

My question is: my I just endure despite two eye drop treatments in 4 hours or are there better drops out there?

For horrible reasons, DH and i are on working tax credits so get our prescriptions free - should I ask for an alternate script?? or is this one the best there is????

Sunglasses will help to keep the pollen away from your eyes.

thanks, fluffybunnymayishortenyournamewithtouappearingtoofamiliar?

seems i should get those really attractive wrap around pairs of sunglasses .......

Fluffy's cool. I do need to change it but hey ho, it's growing on me. Are you not taking any anithistamines? Mine itch like mad in the summer, I find that elderflower cordial works not as well as the drugs but it's bearable.

...fishy? Fishy how?!

Are you taking anti-histamine tablets as well, or just eye drops?

My hay fever starts with nose rather than eyes, and also I don't really go out in the pollen season (I've given up all hope!) but when I do have to go out, I find sodium cromoglycate eye drops are quite soothing. That's Opticrom and I think in various own brands as well. Don't know about prescriptions as I just buy it over the counter...

But yeah, I think eye drops keep getting washed out of your eyes with tears etc so anything I've ever taken, you do have to take them quite regularly. If it's any consolation, it gets easier to put them in with practise!

fluffy!

yip, antihistamine, eye drops, beconase - what else?

I will def try elderflower cordial and I have heard that locally produced honey may be effective. Thing is I am so new to this that at 43 I am willing to try whatever I can to make this go away!

my sister gets it very very badly (in South Africa - I am in England) and I feel so bad for not having been more sympathetic towards her previously.

That'll teach me!

Mine started when I was 14 and I've had it every year since, I'm now 31 so I've had many years from hell. It has got easier in the last couple of years, the elderflower cordial really helps but I do sometimes have to take an antihistamine. Sun glasses keep the pollen out of my eyes, the trick is not to start to rub them though.

The elderflower cordial... is for drinking, right?

eye, there's the rub.... (ye gods!)

me and my eyes have been rubbing and rubbing and rubbing and scratching and scratching and scratching. not been told not to before. lesson learned every day.

hellobeastie -

You have a glass of elderflower squash, first thing in the morning. Don't rub. The more you rub, the itchier they get. Nasty!