treatment
Hay fever eye drops
You may be a hay fever veteran or new to the season of sneezing and streaming. There’s an array of hay fever eye drops available, so let our resident pharmacist take you through where to start and how to choose between them.
What can you find here?
Hay fever season
Hay fever tablets or liquid, also known as oral antihistamines, are a good place to start if you have multiple hay fever symptoms. They aim to reduce the overall immune response, driven by the release of histamine from mast cells. Starting antihistamines early is key to controlling symptoms, ideally a couple weeks before your particular pollen season. You may want to treat a single symptom, such as itchy or streaming eyes, which is where eye drops can help.
Over the counter options
Antihistamine eye drops such as ketotifen (Alaway, Zaditor) can be applied twice daily and are safe in children aged 3 and over. Olopatadine (Pataday) comes in a once-daily and a twice-daily formulation. It can be used in children aged 2 and over.
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