How to tell if it is allergies?

[xxsarahxx]

I recently arrived back in my college dorm after a long winter break. During the break, I had absolutely no problems with my eyes. They were always clear, healthy, and not dry. After I woke up in my dorm the first night, my eyes were completely bloodshot, and had liquidy discharge all around them. I have always had very sensitive eyes, and have dealt with other symptoms of dry eye/allergy eyes in the past. However, I've never had the symptoms come up so quickly.

I was thinking that I probably have an allergy to the dust or other particles in my dorm room. Do you think it could be anything else? Also, do you think purchasing an air purifier would help? My red eyes seem to improve the longer I am awake and blinking, but I want to make a good impression when I walk into my first class early tomorrow morning! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[pete0085]

I recently arrived back in my college dorm after a long winter break. During the break, I had absolutely no problems with my eyes. They were always clear, healthy, and not dry. After I woke up in my dorm the first night, my eyes were completely bloodshot, and had liquidy discharge all around them. I have always had very sensitive eyes, and have dealt with other symptoms of dry eye/allergy eyes in the past. However, I've never had the symptoms come up so quickly.

I was thinking that I probably have an allergy to the dust or other particles in my dorm room. Do you think it could be anything else? Also, do you think purchasing an air purifier would help? My red eyes seem to improve the longer I am awake and blinking, but I want to make a good impression when I walk into my first class early tomorrow morning! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Sarah,

Have you tried using a refresh or systane tear drop and it hasn't helped in the morning?

Sounds like it could be an allergy reaction. Do you have allergy meds your normally take?

Try to get a thermostat that reads both temp and humidity and I will bet it is also very dry.

I had simlar issues when I lived in a dorm. Eyes were all red and bloodshot and turned out to be allergies to dust and mold.

[xxsarahxx]

Thanks for the reply.

I haven't tried those brands yet.. I'm kind of just unsure where to start when it comes to eye drops and am new to the whole world of dry eye in general. Do you think those would help with possible eye allergies, since they are meant for dry eyes?

I'm not taking any allergy medication, because I don't have any other symptoms whatsoever of allergies. I don't sneeze or cough a lot, and my eyes aren't even itchy... they are just bloodshot and have discharge.

[Rebecca Petris]

I was thinking that I probably have an allergy to the dust or other particles in my dorm room. Do you think it could be anything else? Also, do you think purchasing an air purifier would help? My red eyes seem to improve the longer I am awake and blinking, but I want to make a good impression when I walk into my first class early tomorrow morning! Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Hi Sarah,

Any chance it's the pillow, or the detergent used on the pillowcase? It happens....

If it's happening mostly at night, then I'd encourage you to take some steps to protect them at night - some unpreserved artificial tears and perhaps a sleep mask or even a strip of plastic wrap over the eyes may help. Also rinse your eyes well first thing in the morning, with some Unisol 4 (unpreserved saline) or a really thin artificial tear. Of course it'd be good to get to a doctor soon and when you do, try to get their very first appointment of the day so they can see your eyes 'at their worst'.

Mold may be a factor... I'd check around.

...Do you think those would help with possible eye allergies, since they are meant for dry eyes?

Just an FYI, allergies and dry eye are like the proverbial chicken and egg. Ocular allergies can destabilize the tear film and give you dry eye symptoms, but on the other hand, a poor tear film (i.e. dry eye) leaves your eyes vulnerable to everything a healthy tear film fights off successfully, so eye allergy symptoms can appear or be exacerbated when your eyes are dry.

[xxsarahxx]

I don't think its the pillow, since i use the same one at home. Is there a specific brand of unpreserved tear drops you could suggest that I can find at Walmart or similar places? Thanks for all the advice.

[pete0085]

I don't think its the pillow, since i use the same one at home. Is there a specific brand of unpreserved tear drops you could suggest that I can find at Walmart or similar places? Thanks for all the advice.

There are a couple different brands you can get. Refresh or Systane. Actually there are others, but those are the main two you are likely to see at Target or Walmart.

I personally like Systane over Refresh after using both for several years. Systane just works better for me.

If you think it may be allergies, I use Zyrtec and it doesn't seem to dry my eyes out like other allergy meds.

Hope this helps! Feel free to send me an email if you have more questions.

[jswill100]

I hadn't thought of the detergent I use on my pillows, would you guys just wash with simple hot water in the machine? I live in a shared house of 7 so presumably I can't avoid a little detergent if I use the same machine.

[andreapandrea3]

I am intrigued by this thread. I have been suffering with dry eyes for almost two years. I used to be highly allergic to a multitude of things: mold, dust, pollen, grass, milk, ragweed, etc. It seemed that as I grew older and reached my mid 20s, these allergies seemed to improve. However, my eyes have deteriorated. I wonder if there's any chance that there could be an allergy connection with my dry eyes. When I suggested this to one of my doctors (way back when), they dismissed it, saying that an allergic eye is watery, not bone dry.

(Oddly, the day before my dry eye really became unbearable, I put on an eye liner that made my eyes weep and weep and weep tears and become very red and awful. The next day--eyes were so dry and painful, I could barely stand it.)

Any advice anyone could give those of us thinking about seeing an allergist? I'd like to go into it as prepared as possible!

[sazy123]

I did have a blood test for metals including nickel allergy, and it didn't show much of a response- which i find weird considering my ears react to cheep earrings.
My mum and both sisters also react to cheep earrings as well- that is very common.