Posts Tagged ‘Hay fever’

Road Test – Titanium Frames

Saturday, June 19th, 2010

I’ve suffered with my sinuses for years, and wearing my glasses always made this worse. When my sinuses are painful the weight of specs is terrible, making my eyes swell and my nose really tender. This year my hay fever has made it uncomfortable to use my contact lenses, so I decided I had to find some alternative glasses that I can wear.

I mailed off some queries and the InternetGlassesCompany gave me some ideas that might help. I’m only a bit short sighted, so I usually just pick any glasses I like and plastic lenses. I decided that I needed to do everything possible to reduce the weight of my specs, so I was sent some try-before-you-buy frames. There were some with a cord holding the lens in, and some made of different materials. I opted for Titanium, which apparently is tough, light, and doesn’t irritate the skin. I also ordered thin material lenses, and went for a small frame, so there would be less of it!

I was really excited when the spex arrived. They were incredibly light compared to my old ones, especially my chunky plastic frames. They had also fitted big bridge pads to spread the weight over my poor little nose. They felt blissful when I put them on. As they’re small they don’t rest on my cheeks, so within a couple of days my puffy eyes had gone back to normal. No more propping my specs away from my face by the evening, when it was either blurry TV or arm ache as I sat and held my glasses up!

The Titanium is very shiny and slim, and my thin lenses look very sleek in the frames. I thought these would be a necessity frame, (like having Orthopaedic shoes!) but I quite like the minimalist look of them, they’re a nice change from my plastics. They have certainly solved the problem, and the little changes have all added up to really comfy specs.

Making Hay!

Sunday, June 13th, 2010

While some of us can’t wait for Summer, swapping our Uggs for flip flops the minute we hit Easter, others dread the sunny season due to the misery, stuffy heads and streaming noses of hay fever season. This causes lots of problems to spec and contact lens wearers, and we see a high incidence of hay fever related issues from around May onwards, when the tree pollen bursts forth.

Hay fever is nothing to do with actual fever as of course it’s an allergy, affecting about 25% of the UK Population. It can begin in childhood but in most sufferers it starts from the teens onwards. Some people are affected more badly than others, and the degree of reaction can vary from year to year. Symptoms affect the upper respiratory tract, ranging through itchy eyes, runny noses, sneezing, coughing, sore throats, and wheezing, but unlike the common cold it will change with the pollen count and will affect the sufferer through several weeks while their particular pollen problem is air born.

Our biggest group of unhappy patients are contact lens wearers, who can’t bear to wear their lenses in sore, itchy eyes. The first thing to do is check that it’s an allergic reaction, not bacterial, so don’t confuse hay fever with Conjunctivitis! The latter can be cleared with drops from your chemist or GP. If your lenses are of a type that covers the Iris and fits closely you may even be better off wearing your lenses, as the irritation won’t reach the Cornea. Many patients do have to abandon their contacts through the summer and wear specs until their allergy has cleared. If you need eye drops make sure they are compatible with contact lens wear, your pharmacist will advise you if you’re not sure.

Sunglasses often help, with a large lens shielding the eye and keeping some pollen out. They are also soothing for sore eyes in cutting glare and making sensitive eyes more comfortable. Go for 100% UV protection, in a wrap around style with the darkest possible lenses.

Spec wearers will suffer if their noses are blocked and sinuses become inflamed. As the bridge of the nose bears the weight of glasses this can be very sensitive and uncomfortable. A lightweight frame will help you, and a plastic frame has a bridge that spreads the weight, fitting closer to the face to keep the pollen out.

A few simple measures will help to ease your discomfort while you wait for the anti-histamines to kick in, and at least you have an excuse to treat yourself to a new pair of specs!