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Spring time is coming and that spells flower buds, blooming trees — and for the many people who have springtime allergies, it means runny nose, sneezing, congestion, eye irritation, tearing and itching. Seasonal allergies occur during certain times of the year from exposure to certain airborne substances (pollen), particularly the spring, summer, or fall—depending on the particular allergy.  

Symptoms usually involve  the membrane lining the nose, causing allergic rhinitis, and  the membrane lining the eyelids and covering the whites of the eyes (conjunctiva), causing allergic conjunctivitis. In the spring, wind-borne pollen from trees such as alder, birch, juniper, oak, maple, elm come across frequently. As Spring finishes and turns to Summer, different types of grasses play a key role, such as orchard, bermuda, timothy, johnson, and weeds such as English plantain and Russian thistle. As Fall comes around, ragweed is the key culprit. Signs and symptoms of allergies tend worsen on  hot, dry or windy days when there is significant  pollen and mold in the air. Treatment can include but is not limited to, antihistamines, decongestants, and corticosteroids. These may either be in the form of eye drops, nasal sprays or oral medications. It is important to remember that avoidance of certain triggers can be your best friend.

There are a few things that you can do to reduce your exposure to your allergy triggers. Limit your pets access to your bed as pollen sticks to animal fur. If you are doing outside chores, such as gardening or mowing the lawn, wear a dust mask. Dry windy days as mentioned before are worse than a good rainy day which helps remove pollen from the air. Checking local news or radio stations for pollen counts help as well. Its always recommended to use a micron allergy grade filter in the house ventilation system if applicable. We tend to advocate using a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter in the bedroom. Carpets unfortunately while much more comforting when you get out of bed on a cold winter morning, tend to carry a crop load of dust, dirt and various potential allergens. It is recommended that they be vacuumed and cleaned regularly.

 At North Shore Eye Care, our board certified eye doctors, Dr. S. Martin, Dr. Zweibel, Dr. J. Martin, and Dr. Mauro see many patients with allergies all year round. Every patient responds differently to certain treatments and that is why a full eye exam can help diagnose underlying allergic eye disease. In Long Island (Suffolk and Nassau Counties), we see patients from Smithtown, nesconset, saint james, kings park, centereach, selden, coram, middle island, riverhead, ridge, stony brook, setauket, port jefferson, shoreham, wading river, miller place, mt sinai, rocky point, patchogue, medford, farmingdale, farmingville, bellport, bayport, blue point, yaphank, brookhaven, shirley, mastic, moriches, manorville, calverton, jamesport, cutchogue, mattituck, southold, eastport, westhampton, east hampton, southampton, sag harbor, montauk, amagansett, hampton bays, kings park, islandia, islip, hauppauge, lake grove, bohemia, ronkonkoma, holtsville, holbrook, sayville, commack, stony brook, setauket, port jefferson, nissequogue, head of the harbor, old field, poquott, belle terre, fort salonga huntington,  northport, cold spring harbor, dix hills, melville, deer park, centerport, greenlawn, plainview woodbury, syosset, bethpage, massapequa, lindenhurst, sayville, bay shore, babylon, roslyn, great neck, manhasset, east meadow, merrick, rockville center, garden city, mineola, and many other towns including queens, brooklyn, manhattan.