Neti pots have also become popular in recent years for prevention and treatment of allergic rhinitis. Nasal irrigation with a saline solution through a neti pot involves:

• Lean over the sink with your head tilted to one side.
• Insert the spout of the neti pot in the upper nostril.
• Slowly pour the salt water into your nose while continuing to breathe through your mouth.
• The water will flow through the upper nostril and out through the lower nostril.
• When the water finishes dripping out, blow your nose.
• Reverse the tilt of your head and repeat the process with the other nostril.

Treating Itchy Eyes

Itching and redness in the eyes sometimes respond to antihistamine pills. Eye drops, however, provide faster relief, and a combination of the two may be best. Eye drops for itchy eyes include.

• Antihistamine eye drops: azelastine (Optivar, generic), olopatadine (Patanol), ketotifen (Zaditor, generic), levocabastine (Livostin) for relief of both nasal symptoms and itchy red eyes
• Decongestant eye drops: naphazoline (Naphcon, , generic), tetrahydrozoline (Visine, Tyzine, generic)
• Combination decongestant/antihistamine: Visine-A, Opcon-A
• Corticosteroids: loteprednol (Lotemax, Alrex), pemirolast (Alamast)
• Non-steroidal antiinflammatory eye drops: ketorolac (Acular, generic)

General Side Effects and Warnings.

• All eye drops can cause stinging, and some may result in headache and congestion.
• No one should continue taking eye drops if they experience pain, changes in vision, worsened redness, or irritation, or if the condition lasts more than 3 days.
• Do not touch the tip of the device to the eye or touch other surfaces with it. Replace the cap after using. Discard any solution that changes color or becomes cloudy.
• People who have heart disease, high blood pressure, an enlarged prostate gland, or glaucoma should talk to their doctor before taking these types of eye drops.

• < Page
1 2 3
• >

Review Date: 05/03/2011
Reviewed By: Harvey Simon, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Physician, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)