Hayfever and Dry Eyes: What You Can Do to Stay Comfortable This Allergy Season

Symptoms of hayfever are usually worse between late March and September, this causes people to have eye irritation and discomfort along with other symptoms¹.

HAYFEVER

Pollen is a fine powder produced by certain plants when they reproduce².

It’s typically dispersed by the wind, insects, or animals and deposited on the female reproductive part of another flower³. During the spring and summer months, especially in warmer, drier weather, plants produce pollen in much higher quantities to increase the chances of successful reproduction⁴. This surge in airborne pollen is what often leads to seasonal allergy flare-ups.

While pollen plays a crucial role in nature, it can be a major irritant for people with allergies. Hayfever is essentially the body’s allergic reaction to pollen⁵. When someone with hayfever breathes in or encounters airborne pollen, their immune system overreacts and identifies a harmless substance as being harmful⁶. This response triggers the release of chemicals such as histamines, leading to classic allergy symptoms such as sneezing, nasal congestion, itchy throat, and watery, itchy, or red eyes⁶.

Because pollen is so easily carried by the wind, it can travel for miles and infiltrate homes, schools, and workplaces, making it difficult to avoid during peak seasons⁷.

ITCHY AND DRY EYES

During spring and summer, pollen is a huge problem for people with hayfever, leading to uncomfortable eye symptoms. If you have hayfever, when pollen gets into your eyes, your immune system overreacts, releasing histamines. This reaction causes allergic conjunctivitis, making your eyes red, itchy, watery, and swollen^6,8.

Dry eyes are a condition that affects your tear film. You need a smooth stable tear film to help you see clearly and comfortably. Many factors can affect your tear film including allergies⁹.

HAYFEVER AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Pollen loves warm and dry weather, so in 2025 when we had the warmest and driest spring on record, it was the perfect conditions for pollen production and release¹⁰. Public health scientist Elaine Fuertes, highlighted that rising temperatures are causing pollen seasons to start earlier and last longer. This longer pollen season means people who suffer from hayfever are going to experience symptoms for an extended period of time through the spring and summer! One study suggests pollen seasons will begin up to 40 days earlier and end up to 15 days later by the end of the century¹¹, a nightmare for people who suffer from hayfever.

WILL HAY FEVER GET WORSE EVERY YEAR

With global warming and climate change an ever-growing issue, hayfever could look to get worse every year. According to UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) research¹⁰:

• Changes in temperature and rainfall may lengthen the UK pollen season and potentially make pollen concentrations higher
• It could change the potency of pollen, making single pollen particles a more threatening allergy-causing agent
• Climate change affecting the geographical distribution of allergenic plants, with invasive species such as ambrosia (common ragweed) being on the watch list. A single ragweed plant can produce a billion grains of pollen per season and its pollen causes strong allergic reactions.

THERATEARS

That’s why TheraTears Irritation and Redness eye drops  are a trusted choice for relieving irritation, reducing redness and easing stinging, especially when symptoms are triggered by pollen and seasonal allergies.

The ingredients of our Irritation and Redness eye drops include both euphrasia and hyaluronic acid. Euphrasia, also known as eyebright, is a natural plant extract which helps to relieve redness. Hyaluronic acid is found naturally in many parts of the body and can work to lubricate your eyes, which is ideal in the case of non-pathological changes of the tear film. These natural ingredients work to refresh and revitalise your eyes, allowing you to live your life to the full¹².

Unlike some eye drops Theratears Irritation & Redness Eye Drops are suitable for contact lens wearers and are compatible with homeopathic treatments.

If your eyes feel burning, irritated or red, TheraTears can help calm the irritation, and leave your eyes feeling refreshed and relieved all day long.

Always refer to the full product information before use.

References

1. https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/hay-fever/#:~:text=Symptoms%20are%20usually%20worse%20between,after%201%20to%202%20weeks.
2. https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/pollen.html\
3. https://science.howstuffworks.com/life/botany/pollen.htm
4. https://www.metoffice.gov.uk/blog/2023/changing-climate-brings-impacts-for-hay-fever-sufferers#:~:text=Seasonality%20and%20pollen,change%20increasing%20the%20summer%20temperatures
5. https://www.asthmaandlung.org.uk/conditions/hay-fever-seasonal-allergic-rhinitis/what-is-hay-fever
6. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/hay-fever/symptoms-causes/syc-20373039
7. https://aafa.org/allergies/types-of-allergies/pollen-allergy/grass-pollen-allergy/#:~:text=Grass%20pollen%20allergy%20is%20one,during%20April%20through%20early%20June.&text=But%20in%20warmer%20parts%20of,grass%20pollen%20from%20other%20locations.
8. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/allergic-conjunctivitis
9. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/24479-dry-eye

• https://news.sky.com/story/why-hay-fever-is-worse-this-year-and-what-you-can-do-about-it-13326241
• https://www.bbc.co.uk/future/article/20250410-how-climate-driven-thunderstorms-supercharge-pollen-allergies

12. https://www.theratears-eu.com/products/irritation-and-redness/