Avid gardeners
who seek tranquility by turning their landscapes green in the spring but
end up with red, itchy eyes may find relief through a combination of eye
drops and sowing allergy-free gardens.
A book by a
California author advises gardeners what to plant to produce an allergy-free
environment in their yards. But an Atlanta allergy specialist points out
that airborne pollens originating miles away can still infiltrate the landscape,
requiring ophthalmicn medication to alleviate allergy symptoms.
"Allergy-Free
Gardening: The Revolutionary Guide to Healthy Landscaping" by Thomas Leo
Ogren (Ten Speed Press, $19.95) provides advice to gardeners on what to
plant to avoid the most allergy-producing vegetation.
For gardeners
who might not know the allergenic difference between a periwinkle and a
pepper tree, Ogren has developed a rating system - the Ogren Plant Allergy
Scale (OPALS)(TM). The scale rates more than 5,000 plants from 1, the safest
and least allergenic, to 10, the worst and most allergenic. For example,
a periwinkle is rated 1 and a staminate pepper tree is rated 10.
"Allergy rates
are rising at an epidemic pace," Ogren says.
"This is true
in the U.S. and in all urban cities worldwide.
Twenty-five
years ago only 10 percent of the U.S. population suffered from allergy.
Today the official figure is 38 percent and rising."
But allergy-free
gardening is not a cure-all, says Dr. Mark Livezey, an allergist with Allergy
and Asthma Consultants in Atlanta. Livezey also holds a Ph.D. in immunology
and microbiology.
Often, he says,
gardeners plant flowering plants that are not big allergy offenders compared
with trees and grasses, whose pollen can be spread for miles by wind currents.
Some gardeners
may have to stay indoors during a heavy pollen season without masks to
filter out the pollen, Livezey says. But that still leaves the eyes exposed.
"If you have
one of the ophthalmic drops, it can help reduce symptoms and make it tolerable
to work outside," he says.
One of the leading
ophthalmic medications on the market today is Zaditor(TM), manufactured
by Novartis Ophthalmics. Zaditor is a fast-acting and long-lasting eye
drop for itchy allergy eyes. Each drop of Zaditor relieves the itch in
three minutes and lasts 12 hours. In a recent survey, 96 percent of physicians
surveyed said Zaditor is as effective or more effective than any other
product currently on the market.
"Zaditor works
on different parts of the allergy reaction," says Dr. Yvonne Johnson, director
of Medical Affairs for Novartis Ophthalmics. "Targeting more than one stage
of the allergy process is why Zaditor is so effective at working fast and
keeping the itch away."
Livezey says
tree pollens usually peak in March in the Atlanta region, while grass pollens
tend to arrive in April and May.
Grasses and
trees can vary widely in their allergenic properties. Common Bermuda grass
is rated a 10 on OPALS, while tall fescue rates only 3 and Zoysia rates
6. A red maple tree ranks 1 while a Chinese elm ranks 10.
Consumers can
learn how to manage eye allergies and receive rebates by going to the website
<http://www.Zaditor.com>, which explains what causes eye allergies and
how to minimize their effects. It also offers an allergy quiz, and an "Ask
the Expert" section where questions are answered by a board certified allergist.
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