Dealing With Some Especially Itchy Eyes
As sensitive as the skin around the eyes can be, it shouldn’t be too worrying if you experience a little itchiness there every now and then.
However, if that itching becomes frequent, then it might be worth taking a closer look at.
Here, we’re going to look at some of the most common causes of itchy eyes and what you can do about them.
Allergies and allergens
If you’re experiencing itchiness in the eyes in a particular season or when you’re exposed to a particular environment, then it’s very likely that allergies are going to be the root cause. This can include seasonal allergies like pollen, with hay fever being the most likely cause. If you haven’t been diagnosed with allergies but are experiencing some of the symptoms, you might want to talk to your doctor or at the very least try some antihistamine medications, which you can get over the counter, to see if they help. Otherwise, it might be a more persistent allergy, such as mold, dust, and pet dander. You can try improving the air quality in your home to see if that starts to improve things for you.
Your eyes are too dry
If you’re experiencing any of the symptoms of eyestrain, such as a stinging in your eyes, your eyes watering up, or your eyes simply feeling tired, then there’s a good chance that your eyes are too dry. This can happen due to all sorts of reasons, such as spending too much time looking at monitors or other sources of blue light, as well as simply not getting enough sleep and rest. Eyedrops can help you moisten your eyes, but if it’s a frequent problem and you can’t pinpoint the cause, it’s worth talking to a doctor.
It might be the skin around the eyes
The problem may not be with your eyes themselves, but rather with the skin around them. There are a host of symptoms that might highlight the cause of itchiness as a skin condition, such as eczema around the eyes. If the itchiness is worse at night, if the skin feels dry or gets scaly and thick, or if you’re seeing raised bumps or scaly patches, it might well be eczema or another skin condition. Talking to your dermatologist can help you figure out precisely what condition it is, as well as what treatment plan is going to help you deal with it.
An issue with your contacts
Contact lenses might seem relatively simple and harmless and, for the most part, they tend to be. However, some people can experience a little itchiness in their eyes as a result to wearing them, simply because the pressure of a foreign body on the surface of the eyes can be a little much for the eyes to deal with. Make sure that you’re taking good care of your contacts, keeping them clean, changing them when necessary, and getting an eye exam on a regular basis to make sure they’re fitting your corneas properly.
It could be an infection
There are a lot of different types of infections that can affect the eye, from viral to bacterial to fungal, and every one of them is worth treating as soon as you notice it. Conjunctivitis, aka pink eye, is the most common and contagious of the lot, and you might experience some drainage from the eye when affected by it. Uveitis is an infection of the iris, which may come with pain and sensitivity to light. Whatever the case, talk to a doctor as soon as you notice signs of an eye infection, as you want to treat it as soon as you can.
Inflammation of the eyelids
Inflammation is a common sign of infection, but it might not be the eye tissue that’s inflamed but, rather, the eyelids. This is known as blepharitis, which can cause the oil glances in the eyelashes to become blocked, which can stop them from producing as much moisture as they should. Eye drops to help you wash your eyes a little more frequently can help you deal with blepharitis but if that’s not working, you want to talk to a doctor to address it properly.
If you are being affected by any of the issues above, then hopefully you have also found the tips that can help you start to deal with the problem of itchy eyes before it affects you too much. However, regardless of the causes, if you’re starting to experience chronically itchy eyes, then you might want to talk to the doctor about it, as there are other potential causes worth looking at.
