March 13, 2024 at 9:00 am
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More and more daffodils, crocuses and hyacinths raise their heads above the ground and the trees become greener again. Tasty; Spring is coming. but; Hatsu! The hay fever radar predicts an increasingly higher complaint score. What if you have hay fever and wear contact lenses? Does this go hand in hand?
Lens wearers often suffer from hay fever. Don't contact lenses provide an extra layer of protection between your eyes and those pesky pollen? Or is it better to avoid contact lenses if you have hay fever?
About ten to twenty percent of the Dutch suffer from hay fever. The medical term for hay fever is allergic rhinitis. Complaints include irritation of the nose, airways or eyes due to an allergic reaction to pollen from grasses, trees or shrubs, for example. Complaints manifest themselves, for example, in red, watery and irritated eyes, runny nose and sneezing. For most hay fever patients, complaints begin in the spring.
Additional irritation from lenses
Unfortunately, contact lenses do not provide additional protection against pollen. Lens wearers' eyes often become more irritated. Lenses They are highly porous and regulate oxygen and moisture. This also means that pollen can get in and not be stopped. In response, your eyes produce additional proteins, which end up in the tear fluid. This causes more irritation and itching. Therefore, contact lenses act more like sponges than umbrellas.
Tips for wearing lenses for hay fever
Do hay fever and contact lenses not go together at all? Luckily! You can prevent irritation caused by pollen by following these tips:
1. Avoid pollen as much as possible: Wear sunglasses to protect your eyes, keep your windows and doors closed, and wash your hands well before putting in or taking out lenses.
2. Wear as little makeup as possible: Makeup causes more pollution and thus irritates your eyes. Do you still want to wear makeup? Then put your lenses on first and then apply your makeup.
3. Try daily lenses: Daily lenses Throw it away after wearing it. This way you can be sure that you are wearing a clean lens every day that does not contain pollen.
4. Wash your hair and bedding often: It is preferable to wash your hair every night before bed. Pollen easily gets left behind, causing additional irritation at night. Therefore, wash your bedding regularly.
5. Do not rub: No matter how tempting it is, don't rub your itchy eyes. This will make your eyes more irritated and itchy more. Instead, clean your eyes with a damp cloth.
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