If my mother had taken out shares in Kleenex tissues when I was a child, she’d probably be a millionaire by now! I have suffered with allergies all my life, particularly hayfever, rhinitis and a reaction to house dust mite. For years I suffered in silence – well not actually silence more like a fanfare of trumpets from constant nose blowing. Then the doctors started giving me anti histamine tablets, followed by nasal sprays. These did work, but the nasal sprays had to be taken regularly, and the tablets took a while to
work.
A particular problem was the snot that would pour forth after having a bath/shower. This is very annoying when you are 18 and going out for the evening (or on the prowl at any age for that matter). Instead of perfect make-up you end up with a Rudolph nose and two red tram lines below your nose – lovely! I seemed to be allergic to something in the bath. It turned out that anything getting in my eye that contained any perfume would set me off, so this included shampoo, conditioner, or even the bath/shower water due to the bubble bath or shower gel. Other allergens for the eyes include pollen, house dust mites and pet hair which make the eyes itchy, red, sore, puffy and/or watery.
I have only recently discovered that many of my allergic reactions is actually due to my eyes and not my nose and I discovered this when I started using Opticromeye drops – my little miracle which has made my life so much better.
The instructions in the box give a very good explanation about whether your irritated eyes are due to allergies. You probably have allergic eyes if:
• Both eyes are affected • You have a runny nose or blocked nose as well • Your eyesight is not affected
You cannot be sure if you are suffering from allergic eyes and should go and see you doctor if you have:
• No nose symptoms • Only one eye is affected • Your sight is affected.
Opticrom allergy eye drops are simply brilliant. You drop one or two drops in each eye up to 4 times a day. You should wash your hands before using the drops and have a tissue handy to catch any dribbles (titter!). If it helps, use a mirror to see what you are doing. The instructions say to pull your lower eyelid down gently and then place the drop in the ‘pouch’ this creates. Personally I just tip my head back and squeeze two drops, which land wherever. Close your eye and blink a few times to move the liquid around the eye. I do find that my eyes feel a bit odd for a few seconds and the sight is affected for up to a minute, but once this has worn off I get absolutely immediate relief. My eyes stop stinging/itching straight away and within a few minutes I have stopped sneezing and my nose has stopped running. You have to catch it early though to be immediately effective.
You can buy them from your pharmacist ands they cost about £3.99 for a bottle. The drops come in a 10 ml white bottle with a blue label. This is in a blue box, which contains the instructions. They have a shelf life of 2 years but all unused liquid should be thrown away 4 weeks after opening. Opticrom eye drops can be used on children and must not be applied within 2 hours of using any other eye drops or ointment. The instructions contain all the usual warnings about discontinuing use if there are any problems or if you are allergic to any of the listed ingredients.
I believe that their main downfall is that they cannot be used by anyone wearing soft contact lenses. Think about how many millions of people this excludes – maybe a future marketing idea. It also says that you should not use these eye drops for more than 3 months without talking to your doctor. When I speak to mine he just confirms that I have allergies and tells me to continue using the drops if they help.
My miracle drops have certainly helped me. I take far less tablets than I used to, which has got to be a good thing. Kleenex may shortly go out of business if I keep in taking these eye drops. Maybe it’s a good thing that my mum hasn’t got any shares after all.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
I too am a sufferer! At the moment I'm taking tablets and nasal spray which seem to be
working OK at the moment. Sometimes though I do feel I need eye drops but I wear
soft contact lenses. Have you tried excluding dairy products such as cow's milk and cheese from
your diet? It has been clinically proven that they can increase mucus secretion thus make
allergy symptoms worse. You never know, you might grow out of it (I should be so lucky).
Angie
very helpful by (100%):
