I am having been itchy for more than a week, they are watery and sore. I know I'm not supposed to scratch them but they are that itchy I can't help it and sometimes when I'm sleeping I wake up scratching them without knowing. I have been using over the counter eye drops but they do not seem to be helping either. I need your help please I can hardly sleep with them being itchy and sore. I rinse them more often and put eye drops but it's not helping, please I don't know what to do.
Written answer:
Qualified optometrist Simon Kay BSc(Hons) MCOptom answers this question.
It sounds like this is an allergy and you should try antihistamine eye medication. The one most commonly found over the counter is drops that contain sodium cromoglycate. They take a couple of days to work well and you should put them in throughout the day. There is other medication that might help such as oral antihistamines, and different types of allergy eye drops, but they are on prescription only. You should also see your optometrist as there may be another underlying problem causing the itching like an eye infection, dry eye or a lid condition. If the conclusion is that it is an allergy, you should look for the possible irritant, such as feathered pillows or house dust mites.
