By Mathew Guy Musladin, ABOM

It’s not about pirates saying, “aye matey, hoist them up the mast.” That’s not the “aye” or the mast we’re talking about. And it’s not about hoist, but it is about histamine! So, it is about how the eye is affected by the mast cells releasing histamine. That’s because mast cells are the cells that cause a histamine reaction when there's been an insult to the eye. Of course, that insult isn't a comedian saying your eyes so red you should throw them in a garden with the rest of the tomatoes. No an insult means injury, whether mild or severe.

This time of year is smack dab in the middle of allergy season where I live in California. This part of the Northern California “Valley” has been referred to as the “Allergy Capital of the World.” There is pollen everywhere, and that pollen causes chronic injury during the spring and early summer to many, many peoples’ eyes. I personally have a very bad reaction to pollen and hay fever gets the best of me. My eyes swell up badly. I actually had edema in my sclera once. It looked like a giant blister on the white of my eye. This was a scary thing and is all due to the mast cells releasing a histamine reaction in order to combat the pollen.

Now if you've ever seen pollen under a microscope those things look like nasty little spiked balls. No wonder it causes a reaction to the eye. Because of this, I can’t wait for the heat of summer when the pollen production decreases here! In the Spring when pollen production is high, I usually resort to using eyedrops that “get the red out,” or I use artificial tears. The problem is that the eye drops that get the red out are vascular constrictors, and although they addressed the symptoms, they actually inhibit nutrients from getting to the eye. Of course, the artificial tears simply flush the eye out and do nothing to address the symptoms.

So, back to mast cells. According to the National Institute of Health, mast cells are immune cells that arise from the bone marrow. Mast cells in circulation are not mature but once they settle into tissue, they become mature and secrete various chemicals, histamine being chief among them. They are pro-inflammatory, so they contribute to swelling. The conjunctiva is particularly sensitive to this histamine reaction. So, mast cells are the true culprit in causing swollen and itchy eyes.

Now here's the case in point. I was at my regular eye exam, and I was explaining this to my doctor. I had known him for a long time as we played high school football together, so I really trust him. He told me about eye drops that addressed mast cells and he gave me a sample to try. Unlike the vascular constrictors or the artificial tears that I had used in the past which provided temporary relief but took time, these drops worked immediately and provided fantastic long-term relief. I don’t see myself using any other type of drops for allergy relief again!

Now I'm sure there are various brands of eye drops that affect mast cells. I believe it would be worth investing some research time to recommend eye drops for allergic reactions that address mast cells instead of using vascular constrictors or artificial tears. This could be of valuable service to your clientele. Recommend that they ask their doctor about eye drops that affect mast cells to relieve allergic reactions. Increasing your customer service in this way may very well help to keep more of the “red out” of your bottom line!