can allergy drops make your eyes feel worse? - Eye & Vision Message Board

purple2067 · 01-10-2003, 10:13 AM

I have used tons and tons of different kinds of allergy drops. You name it, I have tried it. Recently my doctor switched me from Livostin to Alocril. The Livostin was helping a little bit, but my dr is still experimenting and trying to find the best drop for me. I had used Alocril about a year and a half ago. But he took me off of it, because while I did not have a problem with it back then, it also did not help me at all. But the thing is, now my eyes are much more sensitive. For some reason, when I use the Alocril now it burns my eyes and makes them sting and itch, and it doesn't really stop unless I flush them out with tears. But sometimes my eyes water a lot, and flush it out on their own! My eyes don't get red or anything, but they just get very uncomfortable. I have tried putting in tear drops directly before I put in the Alocril in order to lubricate the surface of the eye, but that doesn't help much. In general, my eyes are now watering much more than before. Can I be having an allergic reaction to the allergy drops? I have only been using them for 3 days, so I want to give it a few more days before I call my dr.

Eartha · 01-16-2003, 10:34 PM

I have used Alocril before and it helped.
You may have an allergy to it or one of the inactive ingredients.
I have "dry eyes" and watering is one of the symptons,
sounds odd, but dry eyes are different that tearing.
The itchy could be the low lubercation that dry eye
causes.
Just my thoughts.
Earha

purple2067 · 01-16-2003, 11:20 PM

Yeah, I think I am allergic to the Alocril. I used it for a little while last year and did not have a problem with it. (but it also did not work for me!)
But since then, my eyes have become so much more sensitive. My eye dr doesn't know what to do with me anymore. I have seen all kinds of specialists, some of the best in the world. I thought I was starting to get it under control. I had been using Livostin, which helps a tiny bit (but since none of the other allergy drops out there help at ALL, this is the best one for me). Anyway, at my last visit I asked him if he had any samples of the Livostin so that I would not have to get my prescription refilled. He said "No, but I have something better". He came in with Alocril. I figured "ok, why not try it again. It can't hurt". Well I used it that night and immediately after I put it in, my eyes started to itch and burn. I let it stay in there for a few minutes but eventually had to flush them out with tears. I thought that maybe my eyes were just unusually irritated that night, (more so than usual) and wasn't sure that it really had anything to do with the Alocril. So I kept using it. But instead of feeling better I started to feel worse. My eyes got more and more irritated, and my face started to turn red underneath my eyes. But of course, by then it was the weekend and my doctor was out of town. So I emailed him and he wrote back to me and told me to stop using it. I did, and the redness on my face is gone, but I still do not feel any better at all!

Now he thinks that I may have a slight case of conjuntivitis on top of everything else. I have not seen him, but have been in constant contact with him over the phone, and he prescribed anti-biotic drops and told me to call him in 2 days (which will be today) and let him know how I am feeling. I will probably have to see him over the weekend. The thing is, I have terribly severe dry eyes as well as extremely bad allergy eyes. Usually I can manage it with tear drops and Livostin, as well as a few other over the counter drops. But for some reason the Alocril just set me off, and I feel so much worse.

I know that the watering can be from dryness (I have been dealing with this for way to long not to know that) but why did it get so much worse when I started using the Alocril? This doesn't feel like the usual dryness. And why has it not gotten better now that I have stopped it? Ugh, I am so fed up already.

yellowroselisa · 01-23-2003, 12:35 PM

When I used Bausch & Lomb all clear AR it burned when I put it in, then the next morning both eyes were all swollen. Has anyone had this happen?

purple2067 · 01-23-2003, 06:41 PM

I had something similar happen when I used an anti-biotic ointment called Neomycin. My internist, not my ophthalmologist had prescribed it for me. And after using it my eyes got beat red and very very itchy, and were burning and I had all kinds of mucus coming out of them. That's when I went to an ophthalmologist who told me that I am allergic to that ointment, as are a lot of people. You probably had an allergic reaction to one or more of the ingredients of the Bausch and Lomb eye drops. If you need to use tear drops, make sure that they are preservative free, like Bion Tears or Tears Naturale Free, or Thera Tears. All preservative free eyedrops come only in individually dosed units. And if you need to use allergy drops, go to an ophthalmologist and get a prescription for something like Patanol or Alocril (it's usually a very good drop...just because I had a reaction to it doesn't mean that you will.) I don't trust any of the over the counter drops. A lot of them are very harsh on the eyes, particularly if your eyes are already sensitive to begin with. I Especially don't trust the ones that advertise that they get rid of the redness. Sure, they may get rid of the redness, but what about the underlying problem that is causing the redness to begin with? All they do is mask the problem. I suggest that you go to an ophthalmologist and find out what the cause of your problem is. What made you use eye drops in the first place?

Good luck,
Elyse

[This message has been edited by purple2067 (edited 01-23-2003).]