Start your drops: Allergy season has arrived

As a practicing premium eye surgeon in the Midwest, there are really four seasons in the year, and spring represents the start of allergy season and when I recommend to my allergy-suffering patients to start their allergy eye drops.Ocular allergies affect millions in the U.S., as proof by the greater than 41 million bottles of over-the-counter and 4 million bottles of prescription anti-allergy ophthalmic medications consumed annually. Seventy percent to 80% of people affected by allergies report ocular symptoms, and up to 40% of the U.S. population is affected by allergic conjunctivitis. Seasonal and perennial allergic conjunctivitis accounts for 95% of all ocular allergy cases in the U.S. Seasonal allergies are commonly caused by tree and flower pollen in the spring, grass pollen in late spring/early summer and ragweed pollen in late summer/early fall. Perennial allergies are commonly caused by dust mites, cat and dog dander, and household molds.