As the beutiful cherry blossoms infamous to DC and other greenery is in abundance, many of us are suffering with itchy watery, red eyes and lots of sneezing.  A few simple things that one can do to decrease ocular allergens is to try to substitute eye rubbing with cool water rinses or compresses done with cool water and a clean wash cloth.  Another thing that one can do is rinse the eyes out with artificial tears available over the counter such as Refresh or Systane.  These will lubricate and soothe the eyes and wash allergens away.  Try to avoid frequent use of Visine or other naphzoline containing products as these can be "quick fixes" that don't cure the problem, but often cause  a dependency.  If despite doing all of these things, you are still suffering you should probably make an appointment with Dr Kotecha so that she can see which prescription medications would be best for you.  There are many very effective medications out there, so you don't need to suffer.  Enjoy the Spring !