As the harmattan season approaches in Nigeria, the weather and environment becomes harsh. During this period, people are normally exposed to allergens, and experiences lots of allergic reactions that manifest itself in form of irritations. From flaky skins, and the worst of them al being allergic conjunctivitis which irritates the eyes. In this post, I will be showing you some ways you can adopt to preventallergic conjunctivitis or simply get relief from it if you are already infected with it.
As humans, the air we breathe, have great impact on all parts of out body; from your brain to your bones, and also from your scalp to your toe nails. Exposure to air pollutants has been linked to a great number of health issues such as asthma, cancer, heart disease, nerve damage, birth defects etc.
The rapid growth rate of air pollution levels in the urban areas is one of the major reason behind the rise in allergic conjunctivitis. Adding the harsh weather condition during the harmattan period, it gets even worse. The infection rate of conjunctivitis during the harmattan period is usually very high, mainly because of the dusty dry air and some other allergens that are circulating with the air too.
Before showing the tips you can use for prevention, let me first of all give you an insight of what allergic conjunctivitis is all about.
What is Allergic Conjunctivitis?
Allergic conjunctivitis is simply the inflammation of the conjunctiva (the tissue that lines the inside of the eyelid and the white of the eye ball) due to allergy. They are quite common during harsh weather conditions such as harmattan, but the good news is that they are treatable and not contagious.
What Are The Symptoms Of Allergic Conjunctivitis?
The symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis includes the following:
- Allergic pink or red eyes
- watery eyes
- Burning eyes
- Swelling of the eyelid
- Sometimes the eyelid becomes sore and painful
- Some people may wake up in the morning with puffy eyes
Though people with other allergic conditions, such as asthma, hay fever, and eczema, are more likely to experience some these symptoms as well.
How Can Allergic Conjunctivitis Be Treated?
When conjunctivitis and other eye allergies are left untreated for a long period, they can result to cornea problems that can affect your vision. It is wise to have an appointment with your ophthalmologist or optometrist if you any of this symptoms persist.
There are many treatment options you can choose from for allergic pink eye. In most cases, your doctor will prescribe an anti-allergic eye drops, or an oral over-the-counter antihistamine to reduce or hinder histamine release. In some severe cases, your doctor can prescribe a steroid eye drops.
Now, you have seen some ways it can be treated, let me now give you some tips to prevent it from occurring.
Tips To Prevent Allergic Conjunctivitis During Harmattan
Allergic conjunctivitis can be treated in several ways, which I have already listed some above. To be on a safe side, you can also adopt some prevention strategies as well as activities to get relief or ease your symptoms. You can easily:
- Keep your home dust-free
- Close your doors and windows always during this harsh weather period
- Stay indoors as much as possible during harmattan, so as to avoid exposure to allergens
Now, to ease or get relief from your symptoms, just follow the tips below.
- If your wear contact lenses, remove them and use glasses instead in order to reduce irritation
- Do not rub or touch your eyes even though they may be itchy
- Apply a cool compress to your eyes to reduce inflammation and itching
- For the ladies, you should avoid wearing eye makeup
- Wash your hands thoroughly before applying drops or ointment to your eyes
- Eat a healthy diet, majorly you should focus on fruits and vegetables
- Avoid sugary and starchy foods
- Stay indoors and avoid exposure to allergens
- You might also consider installing an air purifier in your home.
The harmattan period is inevitable as they always come yearly, so you should place all hands on deck to remain healthy despite the harsh weather conditions. Preventing allergic conjunctivitis gets easy when you follow these simple tips explained in this post. Kindly share this information with your friends by suing the share buttons below, you never know who might be needing it.
