I attended a continuing education evening recently and the topic was allergies and medications. As a hayfever sufferer especially this time of year I often find my eyes become itchy, red and puffy and I start sneezing, often my wife counts the number of sneezes at any one time, about 3 on average. Allergy to tree and grass pollens is the cause of seasonal allergic conjunctivitis and many may be allergic to certain animal dander such as cat or dog hair, dust and mould to name a few causing allergic conjunctivitis.

Often an oral antihistamine with the advice of your GP does wonders particularly if your symptoms extend past red,itchy eyes with sneezing and a runny nose and I often recommend eye-drops such as Zaditen, write a prescription for Patanol or a low dose topical steroid for those with more severe symptoms.