Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsCausesSymptomsDiagnosisTreatmentPreventionWhen to See a Provider
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
Causes
Symptoms
Diagnosis
Treatment
Prevention
When to See a Provider
Allergiesare one of the most common medical conditions in kids. Seasonal allergies (or hay fever) affect more than 7% of children in the United States.If your child has itchy, red, or watery eyes, they might have allergies.
This article discusses eye allergies in kids, including causes, symptoms, and treatments.
Hay Fever: Everything You Need to Know About Allergic Rhinitis
What Causes Eye Allergies in Kids?
Eye allergies (allergic conjunctivitis) occur when allergens get into the eye. Common allergens are pollen, mold, dust, and pet dander.Kids who have hay fever (allergic rhinitis) may experience itchy, watery, and red eyes.
When allergens get into the eyes, the body releases chemicals, including histamines, that trigger inflammation. The response will cause the area around the eye to become red and inflamed.
The irritation mostly occurs in the tissue that surrounds the eyeball and forms the inside of the eyelids (the conjunctiva).A child’s eyes might also water as they try to flush out the allergens.
What Causes Allergies? Common Allergens and Other Factors
How Do You Tell If It’s Pink Eye or Allergies?
If your child has puffy, red eyes you may wonder if they have allergic conjunctivitis (allergies) or infectiousconjunctivitis, also called pink eye. There is a lot of overlap between the two conditions, but there are some distinctions that may help you figure out which one is causing your child’s symptoms.
Allergies
Pink Eye and Irritants
If you’re in doubt, reach out to your child’s healthcare provider. While allergies can usually be managed at home, infectious conjunctivitis may require treatment and isusually contagious.
Is It Allergies or a Cold?
What Are the Symptoms of Eye Allergies in Kids?
Young children may not be able to tell you about theirsymptoms, but their behavior may suggest that they are experiencing an allergic reaction. For example, they will rub their eyes or cry.
Even if your child cannot tell you what is wrong, many of the symptoms of eye allergies are easy to spot.
Common symptoms of eye allergies in kids include:
Your child might also have othersymptoms of hay fever, such as sneezing or coughing.
The symptoms of eye allergies last as long as your child’s eyes are exposed to allergens. For pollen allergies (hay fever), that can be four to eight weeks. For children who experience allergies to indoor allergens like dust mites, symptoms may be year-round.
Symptoms of Eye Allergies
Diagnosis and Treatment of Eye Allergies in Kids
If your child has never experienced eye allergies before, talk with their pediatrician about their symptoms.Eye allergies are diagnosed based on your child’s symptoms. If symptoms don’t get better when allergens are avoided, consulting an allergist forallergy testingis warranted.
For severe allergies, your child’s healthcare provider might recommend prescription medications or an allergy shot.
The Difference Between Blood Tests and Skin Tests for Allergies
How Are Eye Allergies in Kids Treated?
In most cases, eye allergies are treated using over-the-counter (OTC) drugs and lifestyle adjustments to limit exposure to allergens.
For children with pollen allergies, it is important to bathe and change clothes after playing outside during their relevant pollen seasons. This can greatly decrease how much pollen they are exposed to over the course of a day.
When taken daily, medications like Claritin (loratadine) and Zyrtec (cetirizine) can keep hay fever and eye allergy symptoms at bay.
If your child has breakthrough symptoms (symptoms that appear while they’re taking medications), there are some other things that you can try, such as:
What Are My Allergy Treatment Options?
How Are Eye Allergies in Kids Prevented?
You can also consider starting an intranasal corticosteroid the week before allergy season starts. Intranasal corticosteroids can take a few days to start working and sometimes improve eye symptoms as well as nasal symptoms.
Once allergy season has arrived, take steps to minimize their exposure to allergens.Ways that you can reduce exposure to allergy triggers include:
When to See a Healthcare Provider
In most cases, eye allergies are irritating but harmless.However, there are some situations in which you should speak to your child’s healthcare provider, including:
When to See a Dermatologist
Summary
Eye allergies are common in kids. Itchy, watery, red eyes can be a sign of exposure to allergens, environmental irritants, or infections like conjunctivitis. If you are not sure what is causing your child’s eye symptoms, talk to a healthcare provider.
Coping With Spring Allergies
6 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.Allergy facts and figures.Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.Eye allergies (allergic conjunctivitis).Johns Hopkins Medicine.Allergic conjunctivitis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pink eye: causes and how it spreads.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of pink eye.Seattle Children’s.Eye allergy.
6 Sources
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.Allergy facts and figures.Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.Eye allergies (allergic conjunctivitis).Johns Hopkins Medicine.Allergic conjunctivitis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pink eye: causes and how it spreads.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of pink eye.Seattle Children’s.Eye allergy.
Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.Allergy facts and figures.Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.Eye allergies (allergic conjunctivitis).Johns Hopkins Medicine.Allergic conjunctivitis.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pink eye: causes and how it spreads.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of pink eye.Seattle Children’s.Eye allergy.
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.Allergy facts and figures.
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America.Eye allergies (allergic conjunctivitis).
Johns Hopkins Medicine.Allergic conjunctivitis.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Pink eye: causes and how it spreads.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Symptoms of pink eye.
Seattle Children’s.Eye allergy.
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