Itchy eyes is a common eye discomfort. It is one of the symptoms of allergic eye reaction to impurities or foreign bodies that come in contact with the eyes. Everyone at some point has experienced it. The causes of itchy eyes are quite common and very much around us. Some of these factors are preventable but some are not. Nevertheless, our actions or the daily activities that we engage in could cause itchy eyes. Some of these factors are as follows;

Dust 

The most common home impurity that trigger eye allergic reaction and make the eyes itchy is dust. Dusty environment will most likely trigger ocular ( eye ) allergy especially If you are allergic to dust ( and most people are ). Cleaning cobwebs in your homes without a protective glasses is a common means of introducing germs / foriegn bodies into your eyes. Your eyes may start to Itch minutes or hours after cleaning. Avoid dusty environment if you can. If you can’t, have your face, nose and eyes properly covered with face shield or safety goggles when working in dusty environment or cleaning cobwebs.

Air spray or chemical fumes 

This range from industrial chemicals in the work place to household cleaning agents. Janitors are on daily basis in contact with various cleaning chemical agents and therefore should protect their eyes from these chemicals. As harmless as most household/spray are, some of them could be very harsh to the eyes and trigger a burning and itchy sensation that may have a long lasting effect in the eyes and similar to that of dry eyes. Anti allergic eye drop may help in this case. Nevertheless, preventive approach is the best approach.

Pets and poultry animals 

People love their pets and the animals they breed. As a result, they are in constant physical contact with them. Having many cats, chickens, dogs or other kinds of domestic animals ( especially the ones without veterinary care ) in and out of your living space could trigger ocular allergy especially in children. Some children are allergic to the fur or feathers of their pets and their parents unaware of it. This could lead to long-standing allergic conjunctivitis and constant itchy eyes.

Teddy bear 

Cuddling and Sleeping with Teddy bear is fun and soothing for most children. But this may not be soothing or comforting if it is filthy. Dusty and dirty teddy bears and germs will, some day, trigger eye allergic reaction or get the child’s eyes infected. This is because some children use their teddy bears as pillows which therefore brings it in close contact with their face and eyes. Teddy bears should be cleaned or sanitised frequently to prevent this.

Make-Up 

Most women apply make-up. There is nothing wrong with that. But if a woman’s skin is sensitive to a specific type of make-up, she will experience an allergic eye reaction from it. This may be dry itchy skin around the eyes or serious itchy red eyes. As a result of this, I will advise that the woman stops using make-up for sometime and observe to see if the itching will stop.

Foods and drinks 

Some people who are allergic to certain types of food. Like they say “ one man food is another man’s poison”. This could range from your favorite food, snack, drink to nuts and dairy products. If your are allergic to what you consume, your body will react to it in one way or another. It may be in the form of itchy skin, skin rash, scratchy throat, feverish condition or itchy eyes.

Wiping your eyes with cloth

Wiping your eyes with cloth could get your eyes infected. This may be the use of handkerchief, face towel or a piece of face cloth. These fabrics are often not clean enough to make contact with the eyes. People often pull out these face cloth from their pockets or hand bags, wipe their eyes with them and put it back into their pocket or bag. Sometimes they carelessly rest it on a dirty desk and pick up the same cloth to wipe their face or teary eyes. 

It should be noted that our pockets, bags, purses, desks, chairs, shelves etc are often not free of germs and dust, as a result, this unhygienic practice exposes your eyes to germs.  This could trigger allergies and itchy eyes or infection.

To prevent this eye condition, I advise the use of disposable paper towel to wipe watery eyes.

Written By;

Austin Madu, OD

(Optometrist )