Survey: Allergy eye drops

Dates: April 13-29, 2026

Participants: 107

Rebecca's highlights:

• Environmental allergies are affecting many people's eyes
• Only 1 in 4 survey participants with ocular allergy symptoms has been diagnosed with allergic conjunctivitis. Is this an opportunity to talk more with your doctor about these symptoms?
• Almost everyone uses lubricant drops, and more than half use over-the-counter antihistamine drops, but thankfully most people do not use decongestant (redness reliever) eye drops!
• Nearly a third have used steroid eye drops
• About a quarter have used prescription antihistamine eye drops
• Olopatadine (Pataday) was most commonly cited as an effective treatment.

SECTION 1: What is your experience with eye allergy symptoms and diagnosis?

QUESTION 1: In the past 2 years, have you suffered from symptoms of allergic conjunctivitis such as itching and redness?

QUESTION 2: Overall, how would you describe your symptom severity?

QUESTION 3: Anything you'd like to share about causes and contributors?

Among the 54 responses, the most commonly cited cause: pollen, and several people mentioned specific locations where pollen season is particularly challenging (Texas, Atlanta, central Ohio). Additional contributors included dust, ragweed, and wildfires.

Here are a examples of comments:

• According to allergy tests administered by a medical professional I’m not allergic to anything. But when there’s a lot of pollen in the air, my eyes are constantly in pain.

• I have several pollen allergies; weeds, trees and grasses so there’s always something in the air I’m allergic to.

• Allergy season is particularly bad since I'm most allergic to grasses.  

• I live in a semi arid climate (CO), so actually better here than when I lived in more humid climates

• I'm allergic to normal contact lens, that's why I was prescribed Scleral lens. Now I feel my eyes have realized they are contacts and the allergy symptoms are returning

• I'm never sure if it's allergies or just dryness, wind or some other factor.

• well, the eye doctor always says that you have an allergy and the bumps are showing this.  I have not found anything that has made a difference and I want to avoid steriod drops

• Have had desensitisation treatment for grass and tree pollen so symptoms far less now

• My optometrist told me that eye allergies and dry eye are interrelated- having dry eyes has contributed to my ocular allergies. Unfortunately, I’m sensitive to BAK and unable to tolerate antihistamine eyedrops that aren’t preservative- free (Zaditen preservative-free is no longer available from New Zealand or Australia). Does anyone on this forum know of a compounding pharmacy in the US that will make preservative-free antihistamine eyedrops? I’m desperate! Thank you. 

• I’m a keratoconus patient with dry eye and allergic conjunctivitis. This year I’ve had several severe episodes where I couldn’t wear my sclera lenses more a few hours.

• hot and dry/dusty weather;  in the spring when many things are starting to bloom;  freshly cut grass/shrubs;  moving to a new place

• Main symptom is developing a film on the eye and in the lens requiring removal and cleaning a couple times a day

• My optometrist told me that eye allergies and dry eye are interrelated- having dry eyes has contributed to my ocular allergies. Unfortunately, I’m sensitive to BAK and unable to tolerate antihistamine eyedrops that aren’t preservative- free (Zaditen preservative-free is no longer available from New Zealand or Australia). Does anyone on this forum know of a compounding pharmacy in the US that will make preservative-free antihistamine eyedrops? I’m desperate! Thank you. 

• My eyes cleared up when I changed my laundry detergent and soap products.

• I am allergic to everything. I just didn’t know. My allergies developed during a critical time in my glaucoma treatment. I had a lot of inflammation and uncontrolled dry eye. All of these things together created a perfect storm and terrible condition of my eyes. Once I started treating the allergies and strategically treating dry eye, the overall condition of my corneas is better.

QUESTION 4: In the past 2 years, have you been diagnosed with allergic conjunctivitis?

SECTION 2: What treatments have you tried for these symptoms?

QUESTION 5: Over-the-counter 

QUESTION 6: Prescription-only 

QUESTION 7: What else have you tried?

• I stay indoors as much as possible. When I will be spending any time outside my house it seems to help to wear my contacts like as bandages maybe

• Typically, wash around eye with baby shampoo. Also, use other prescribed ointments such as TobraDex, etc.

• I just use lubricating, moisturizing drops or remove scleral lenses, rinse, fill and reinsert.

• Using B&L eye wash after removing contacts for the day

• Extra rinsing for lids/eyes with Purilens, more mid-day refreshes, and avenova to keep debris out of eyes 2x day

• Warm compresses. 

• Acupuncture and acupressure 

• Nasal corticosteroid, nasal Azelastine HCI 

• Vaseline up my nose and Ziena glasses

• After they discontinued Alaway individual vials with no preservatives, I order Zaditen individual vials with no preservatives from Australia.

• eyelid scrubs;   keeping eye drops in the fridge

• A supplement called D-Hist:  https://www.orthomolecularproducts.com/product/natural-d-hist Also Montelukast 10 mg daily"

• Mixing Celuvisc with Purilens in the lens.  Restasis. 

• Sudafed

• retain for allergy - feel overwhelmed right now and can't recall

• Plasma tears 

• Pazeo was dc'ed so started Pataday. Used year round until this year. Now start in early spring when itching starts. End in late fall.

• Cyclosporine / Restasis

• Tacrolimus ointment on eyelids

• I’ve tried preservative-free eyedrops with ectoin- somewhat helpful, but not great. 

• I will occasionally dab a a little Benadryl cream on the skin near my tear duct (not rubbed into the eye)

• too fearful of using anything with preservatives

• Allergy shots!

• Recently started Cequa for dry eyes, it is helping with the allergic eye symptoms too I feel!

• PF Zaditen eye gets - purchased from New Zealand. Have worked well for me for many years, but right now am unable to obtain because seller won't sell while the tariffs are in place. I do not understand why a PF allergy eye drop isn't available in US. I am allergic to benzalkonium chloride so am really between a rock and a hard place now since no US available allergy eyedrop product is made without this preservative.

• Fluticasone nasal spray 

SECTION 3: What works for you?

Question 8: Overall, what has worked best for your allergic conjunctivitis symptoms? What do you prefer? Please explain.

• eye drops from over the counter

• My symptoms for this are pretty mild so yes, they have worked

• Pataday has helped reduce my reaction to pollen while having severe dry eyes 

• Staying inside during the changes of seasons. Wearing contacts. And ointment when I can get away with not seeing well

• Pataday or elestat.  But, I've hardly needed to take either ever since switching from RGP contacts or scleral lenses.

• Zyrtec

• "Pataday or Zatador

• "

• Unfortunately every dry eye drop I’ve tried ends up creating allergy itching, tearing and eye pain. These drops were Oasis Plus, Ivizia and Systane Complete PF.  I am now trying Biotrue when I wear soft contacts.

• Pataday works very well and doesn't dry my eyes.  If my eyes get extra itch and red, Systane Complete helps for a short while.  I'm thinking of trying Systane Pro as well.

• olapatadine, with rare use of a decongestant when symptoms are particularly pronounced

• Allegra plus eye drops 

• wiping face/eye area with wet washcloth after coming inside, lubricant drops, Pataday, living in a more arid place and having hard floors (not carpet)

• I don’t use anything due to dry eye. 

• I'm wearing my scleral lens less, going a few days in between helps.

• As needed: Claritin (it can make dry eye worse), Soothe drops. A few times a day: AST. 

• Prescription steroid drops 

• Wahing around eyes with baby shampoo and flushing with Purilens and also TobraDex or Erythromycin. Also, Stye ointment.

• Moisturing drops suitable for use with sclerals, or removal, rinsing and reinserting sclerals. If these measures work, why would I ever go to "drug drops"?

• NA

• I take Zyzal around the clock, it seems to help the best. 

• Cel u visc Renew, Zyrtec

• "Restasis preserved drops

• "

• Air filters, staying inside, extra cleaning routine of lids, lenses and eyes, and overall trying to not overdue OTC products as they make things worse with drying. 

• Eye drops with ectoin - from Canada. I purchased from a Canadian pharmacy before all the tariff nonsense. I wish I could get those now but I don’t think we can in the US. :(

• "Chlorphen 12

• "

• Pataday

• Pataday Allergy 24 hr drops at bedtime.

• Nothing works well ENOUGH.. Miebo & Optase which I did not see listed

• Lid scrubs, olapataday, steroid drops

• allegra, and an eye lubricant

• Steroids

• Pataday is the absolute best fur me

• Taking my Prose lens out and cleaning it repeatedly during the day.

• Steroid eye drops plus Zyrtec combo has been working well for me.

• Pataday 

• Pataday seems to work the best long term. Lotemax has worked fine for me short term but I'm concerned about what the long term side effects could be 

• 2x daily Pataday drops, kept in the fridge (feels great!), used as needed. I typically only use them once a day. I also use an eye rinse very occasionally (Bausch and Lomb) to clear out the allergens from my eye (s) if one is particularly bad. 

• Rx Eye drops, Rx nasal spray, frequent refreshing my contact lenses. 

• I think it's Alaway although I read recently through the Dry Eye Shop that Alaway has BAK! 

• Pataday Drops

• Comination of Pataday, loradine, and Occusoft eyelid cleaner

• Lastacraft OTC

• "Combination of Zyrtec plus Pataday.  I also use lubricant drops daily which also seem to help my eyes feel better but do not seem to help with allergies.

• "

• Antihistamine over-the-counter eye drops 

• Earn eye compression has relieved my itch. But I struggle with the itchy eye lid

• allegra and pataday

• Steroid eye drops + nasal corticosteroid + olopatadine + BlinkJoy heat mask

• Pataday works well.

• Pataday

• Prescription eye drops

• Hycosan Extra 

• Olapatadine drops plus Ziena glasses 

• Pataday once a day regular strength

• Zaditen individual vials with no preservatives work well. Although it's expensive to get them from Australia. I can't find any alternative allergy eye drops in the US without preservatives.

• Steroids to stop the violent episodes and cyclosporine to stabilize long term

• Nothing has helped much.

• for mild symptoms, Refresh Optive gel in the morning or Refresh Celluvisc gel at night;   for moderate symptoms, Zaditor drops and eyelid scrubs

• Staying indoors, keeping windows closed is my best strategy.  When I walk the dog, I wear sunglasses that seal close to my eyes.  When I arrive home I either change my clothes or wipe down with a damp towel my hair, skin and clothing or take a shower.

• Staying indoors, a/c (double edge sword in a way since the a/c helps the allergy part it increases dry eye symptoms). Zyrtec 

• Systemic medications like xyzal and Claritin 

• Rewetting drops are usually enough to relieve symptoms 

• Otc benedryl

• Nothing really. Just waiting for season to change.

• Zyrtec and Systane Complete

• Pataday

• Tobradex seemed to help.  But doctors are reluctant to prescribe because I also use glaucoma drops.

• Just took my devices out, cleaned them and put them back in. (It was cherry blossom season in DC and i was affected this time, but have not been there at this time in the past

• Pataday

• I think the Pataday helped along with using my Neti Pot. I have glaucoma so I’m a bit nervous to try any other eye drops or use them for very long.

• I’ve had allergies all of my life but eye symptoms only for the last two years. Antihistamine drops probably work the best but unfortunately I basically have to wait out the symptoms. 

• Still trying to figure out if I have seasonal allergies or not since wearing sckeral lenses. I seem to have more protein/sticky gunky deposits on the outside of my lenses.

• Zyrtec Restasis drops

• lotemax

• Pataday.

• I flush my eyes with saline.  Seems to help get rid of the mucous build up.

• Pataday at night 

• Rx eye drops and Rx nasal sprays. Partial relief only. 

• Nothing - red irritated near eyelashes - no other symptoms like tearing or red eyes.

• rinsing eyes with lubricant tears such as Refresh Plus and preservative-free saline solutions

• Dexamethasone PF drops 

• Try to keep eyes well lubricanted after  R K surgery 

• Pataday works.

• pataday

• "Preservative- free Zaditen eyedrops worked great for me- unfortunately, it’s currently unavailable for purchase. 

• FML eyedrops also bring relief "

• Changing my soap products to those that are more natural and do not contain sodium lauryl sulfate

• Washing my face and using allergy eye drops, plus the Benadryl cream works best. If I have a particularly bad allergy, I will take a Benadryl tablet. Since being diagnosed with keratoconus however, I don't rub my eyes like I used to, so I don't get a  bad case of allergic conjunctivitis very often.

• Allergy shots

• Epinestine  drops  & Oracea for ocular rosacea 

• nothing actually; just keep eyes as moist and clean as possible

• Prednisone eye drops.

• over the counter allergy tablets like Allegra  

• Couldn’t tolerate Cromolyn due to burning. Currently using Restasis, Pataday, an lubricant drops, and systemic singular and Zyrtec, and all monthly allergy shots 

• I use Pataday twice a day, sometimes three times a day. At the recommendation of my eye doctor I fill my scleral lens with PF artificial tears. I use Celluvisc when I remove my lens and Retaine ointment in the evening.

• Pataday helped somewhat (I was using the lowest concentration); Lastacaft made me want to no longer live — no joke it caused major psychological issues for me; since I started Cequa a month ago I no longer have eye allergy symptoms! Thank you for this survey!

• Nothing seems to work.

• Pataday, just started Lastacraft instead of Pataday, no difference in symptoms, Lastacraft stings more and has unnecessarily larger drops

• lots of lubricant drops along with oral antihistamine

• Eye drops

• Nothing has truly helped

• Antihistamine drops, Zyrtec

• Allegra, saline drops

• azelastine drops have worked well enough although because i have severe dry eye they dry my eyes out so it's not perfect

• Pataday

• A combination of allergy shots, OTC and prescription drops, and limiting exposure to allergens.

• Nothing works very well, it comes and goes but never really comfortable

• Prescription eye drops creams and allergy immune built up shots

• Refresh eye drops and hot compresses