Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Eye Allergies/Infections...Symptoms, Causes & Management.

Hi lovelies!

Wow, two posts from me in as many days, we are on a roll this week! I'd like to talk about something a bit different today, eye allergies/infections. The reason this has been on my mind is because a friend of mine recently reacted quite badly to some new makeup, waking up with red, swollen and teary eyes the day after wearing it. In addition, I went over to spend some time with my baby nephews the other day only to find out that they had conjunctivitis (fortunately, I don't seem to have caught it), but it made me think about the possibility of eye allergies and the implications on our beauty regimes.


Symptoms

So, what are the symptoms of eye allergies? You suddenly find your eyes are watering, red, itchy or burning, and you may not even know why. The problem is that the causes are varied and could be one of many things, or even a combination of several things!

Causes

Some common causes include catching an infection from someone else, an allergic reaction to makeup/dust/chemicals; the list is endless. I once picked up an eye infection from excess dust that was in the air as a result of construction work on house next door. What's even more frustrating is that allergies can be triggered from using new products, but can also happen literally overnight from using products that you've used for a long time too. I don't just mean from using products that you've had for a long time (but please do keep an eye on expiration dates and try to throw out what you've had for a while) but also, products that you've repurchased and kept using over an extended period of time. Pay especially close attention to mascara because it's the best breeding ground for bacteria that can then easily get into your eyes and cause an infection.

Management/treatment

Please keep in mind that I'm in no means an expert on the topic, but here are some things that I find beneficial.

1) Always make sure your makeup brushes are clean.
I can't stress enough how important it is to sanitise your makeup brushes, because it's the best way to spread an infection. I know it can be a bit of a pain to constantly wash your brushes but invest in a good cleaning spray (I use the Inglot brush cleanser) to clean between uses and deep clean my brushes every so often.

2) Use a sanitising spray on your makeup every so often.
I give my eyeshadow palettes and lipstick a spray with Isocol every so often. I bought mine from Priceline for just under $10, and decanted it into a cute spray bottle I picked up from Daiso.

Isocol Antiseptic Spray.

3) Switch to spectacles if you have an infection.
If, like me, you're a religious contact lenses wearer, do yourself a favour and stay off the lenses until your eyes have recovered.

4) Use medicated products like allergy eye drops.
I've used the Optrex medicated eye drops in the past to alleviate soreness and soothe my eyes.

If all else fails and your eyes aren't getting any better, please make an appointment to see your doctor! You don't want to suffer for too long and run the risk of damaging your eyes!

Have you had eye allergies/infections lately, lovelies? What do you do when you're faced with one? If you have any tips, please share them in the comments!

Much love,
MM.
x


*This post was written in collaboration with Optrex.

27 comments:

  1. So happy to see you back to blogging more regularly.. looking forward to many more posts, hopefully hehe!
    This is actually a really great post, and something that I think a lot of beauty lovers overlook, myself included! xx

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  2. Don't forget about the strict 3 month rule for mascaras! It could get gross otherwise.

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    1. Definitely! It was in my head as I was typing but I neglected to put it in the text! Doh!

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  3. Im lucky I never have allergies, but I do always keep check on use by dates of my mascara x

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    1. It's definitely the most sensitive product to keep an eye on!

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  4. I haven't had an allergic reaction to make up for years, but often react to skincare, or when I over stimulate the skin with resurfacing products. It can be so painful. KBxx

    http://beautybykaris.com

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    1. Oh, heavens, yes...skincare can be a tough one to manage!

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  5. This is SO important, eye infections are no joke. I had a bad reaction to a new liner a few months ago. I woke up and my eye was swollen shut. Thankfully, it went down after half a day, but it's scary how makeup can do that!

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    1. Oh dear, that sounds awful! I'm so glad that it went down...and yes, it's awfully scary how the smallest thing can set off a bad reaction!

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  6. I have had to have surgery many years ago on my eyes thanks to keeping mascara for too long and not removing my makeup correctly in highschool. I ended up with eye styes that could only be painfully scraped away and stitched, never ever ever keep a mascara for more than three months and always remove your makeup properly :) I sanitise my makeup weekly and never use a brush more than once without cleaning, it isn't worth the risk.
    Beauty Wanderer

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    1. Oh my goodness, that sounds awfully painful! And quite serious. I can understand why you're so careful now, Rebecca.

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  7. Great tips! I've luckily never had an eye infection or allergy but I do need to get better at washing my brushes more regularly!

    Jess xo
    http://just-jesss.blogspot.co.uk

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  8. I had once allergy to mascara and I didn't even know what it was at first. I felt like scratching my eye out. I try to keep my brushes as cleans as possible and clean them every time I use them. When it comes to mascaras I don't change them every 3 months, because I don't share it with anyone and in the end of the day the bacteria in it is my own. Thanks for sharing your tips :)

    Laura
    Pink Frenzy

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    1. Ouch, Laura, that sounds terrible! I agree that keeping brushes clean is really important! xx

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  9. I will never forget the last eye infection I got oh my goodness it was sore and so so annoying :) I found eye drops that worked for me but it still took some time to clear up. I later found it was from a mascara that was out of date but did not smell or was not flaky the reason i found it was that was because i used it again and got the infection back http://ninasbargainbeauty.blogspot.com

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    1. Oh my, Nina...that sounds awful. I wonder what it was about that mascara that irritated your eyes?!

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  10. i get paranoid about my eyes and i always say no one else can use my makeup. i do need to wash my brushes more frequently though

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  11. I have quite sensitive skin and do get allergic reactions on occasion. Thanks for the advice :) xx

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  12. A few years back my niece had about six eye infections over three or four months, so I asked her when she'd last changed her eyeliner (which she wears every day) and she said she'd been using the same one for ages and couldn't remember when she'd last changed it. I made her bin it, and once the eye infection had gone I bought her a new one. And guess what? She's not had another one since! It's so easy to forget that infections can transfer from one place to another. I hope your friend is ok now :)

    Louise x

    With love from Lou

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    1. Ouch! It's easy to lose track of time, isn't it?!

      Yes, I believe she's all good now! :)

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  13. I haven't got any allergies but if I use makeup when I'm ill I make sure I dump it afterwards, especially mascara, just to be extra careful :)

    Creepers & Cupcakes

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  14. The post is so informative and thank you so much for taking your time to write all of this for us. One should always be careful while buying and using make up. I personally think its best to use hypoallergenic make up

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