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Sore, Red And Itchy Eyes, Swollen Lips, Tried Piriton And Eye Drops

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Posted on Tue, 18 Sep 2012
Question: im 12 weeks pregant, my eyes are sore, red and itchy to the point where its unbearable and my lips are swollen (people are saying it looks like ive had my lips done) and their really red. this is all driving me insane :( ive tried piriton and it doesnt work, ive also tried eyes drops but these do nothing to comfort my eyes :( plz help.
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Answered by Dr. Michelle Gibson James (1 hour later)
Hi

The most common cause of itching in the eyes is an allergic reaction or allergic conjunctivitis.Allergic conjunctivitis can be seasonal and due to exposure to pollen or called perinneal conjunctivitis and due to exposure to household allergens and pets for example.
Bacterial and viral conjunctivits can also cause redness of the eyes but these are usually associated with discharge and contact with a person with the illness.

Persons with allergic conjunctivitis may also have a history of other allergies - such as skin allergic reactions, asthma or allergic rhinits. In your case you seem to be experiencing a allergic reaction by your mouth. You have to be careful , in such severe allergic reactions, it is possible for it to spread to involve your airway and obstruct your breathing. This would be associated with symptoms such as shortness of breath, lightheadness.

Treatment involves : if possible identifying the allergen responsible and eliminating it
(2) there are different types of eye drops, some are simply tears which would work by providing a barrier and diluting the allergens, there are also eye drops that contain antihistamines and others that contain mast cell stabilisers (these stop the histamine from being released and causing the symptoms)
There are also eyedrops that contain vasoconstrictors (contract blood vessels) which would reduce the redness, these are usually combined with the antihistamine eye drops. In some persons , though, they may cause rebound redness.
In severe cases such as yours , a doctor may suggest the use of eyedrops with steroids for a short period

In light of your pregnancy and the severity of your symptoms you should consider going to your GP.
If this is difficult at this time, go to your local pharmacy and ask for an eyedrop with an antihistamine or mast cell stabiliser ( if available over the counter, alot require a prescription), you can combine this with the tears.
In addition, before continuing with the oral antihistamines, you may want to consult your doctor because though they are used with no problem, there safety in pregnancy has not been established.

I hope this helps and you feel better soon, feel free to ask any other questions
Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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Answered by
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Dr. Michelle Gibson James

General & Family Physician

Practicing since :2001

Answered : 16808 Questions

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Sore, Red And Itchy Eyes, Swollen Lips, Tried Piriton And Eye Drops

Hi

The most common cause of itching in the eyes is an allergic reaction or allergic conjunctivitis.Allergic conjunctivitis can be seasonal and due to exposure to pollen or called perinneal conjunctivitis and due to exposure to household allergens and pets for example.
Bacterial and viral conjunctivits can also cause redness of the eyes but these are usually associated with discharge and contact with a person with the illness.

Persons with allergic conjunctivitis may also have a history of other allergies - such as skin allergic reactions, asthma or allergic rhinits. In your case you seem to be experiencing a allergic reaction by your mouth. You have to be careful , in such severe allergic reactions, it is possible for it to spread to involve your airway and obstruct your breathing. This would be associated with symptoms such as shortness of breath, lightheadness.

Treatment involves : if possible identifying the allergen responsible and eliminating it
(2) there are different types of eye drops, some are simply tears which would work by providing a barrier and diluting the allergens, there are also eye drops that contain antihistamines and others that contain mast cell stabilisers (these stop the histamine from being released and causing the symptoms)
There are also eyedrops that contain vasoconstrictors (contract blood vessels) which would reduce the redness, these are usually combined with the antihistamine eye drops. In some persons , though, they may cause rebound redness.
In severe cases such as yours , a doctor may suggest the use of eyedrops with steroids for a short period

In light of your pregnancy and the severity of your symptoms you should consider going to your GP.
If this is difficult at this time, go to your local pharmacy and ask for an eyedrop with an antihistamine or mast cell stabiliser ( if available over the counter, alot require a prescription), you can combine this with the tears.
In addition, before continuing with the oral antihistamines, you may want to consult your doctor because though they are used with no problem, there safety in pregnancy has not been established.

I hope this helps and you feel better soon, feel free to ask any other questions