Cat allergies?? Eye issues...

[WhiskersOnKittens]

Hello all,
I just posted a similar question on the eye and vision board, but I thought I'd post one here just in case, because I'm thinking that what I've got is allergies to my kitten. I have itchy, and CONSTANTLY watery eyes. I've tried original visine for this, but I'm wondering if anybody can recommend something that might work a bit better? The most bothersome component of this is definitely the watering--it can go for hours and hours on end. Any suggestions? Thanks!

Whiskers

[Titchou]

try an antihistamine...or try the Visine for allergies...

[Midget]

That's what I was going to recomend to...Antihistamine (Claritin is an OTC med...) or Visine for Allergies. Good luck!

[WhiskersOnKittens]

Thanks for the responses! I was out today and bought some visine for allergies, I put some in my eyes when I got home, and so far, so good! Thanks for the ideas!

Whiskers

[purple2067]

NOOOOOOOO!!!! Please don't use Visine!

Sorry, I don't mean to shoot down your ideas, but any ophthalmologist will tell you that Visine is not a good product for people with eye allergies. It has a lot of harsh chemicals in it that will make your eyes worse. A LOT of people have had bad problems with Visine of any type. If you want to use an over the counter allergy drop, I recommend something like Naphcon-A. But even that does not work as well as the prescription drops. You need to go to an ophthalmologist or an allergist (or even your primary care doctor) and get a prescription for some Patanol or Optivar. Those are a hundred, thousand times better than anything you will find over the counter and they are not nearly as harsh as Visine. Also, you might try using some artificial tears to wash out the allergens from your eyes. The better ones are again, NOT made by Visine (or by Murine). Some of the better artificial tears are ones like Bausch and Lomb MoistureEyes, Tears Naturale, and Thera Tears. If you want to do something even better for your eyes and go the preservative free route, then Bion Tears or any of the ones mentioned above are really good. PF ones come in a box of indivdual vials.

I have terribly severe eye allergies as well as very very bad dry eyes (which are made a billion times worse when I am around cats) and what I posted above is the advice I was given by several ophthalmologists and allergists. I started out using Visine too, and when I told my ophthalmologist he told me that it is a very very harsh drop and it is only OK for very occasional use, even though the bottle says otherwise. Years and years ago when it first came out, there was nothing else out there to rival it. But now there are so many more options out there that are a lot better.

Also, make sure not to touch your face/eyes after you pet your cat. Wash your hands frequently. And if you go into PetSmart or Petco, they have wipes that you can wipe your kitten with to get rid of some of the dander that causes allergies.

For more immediate relief, wet a washcloth with cold water and put it on your eyes for a few minutes.