Allergies & Mowing Pastures

[seabreeze]

I have a history of allergies, but they are very well controlled with daily Allegra, fluticasone, and Advair. While everyone else is bemoaning pollen season, I skate through without even a sneeze. Yay!

However…
Every spring, my eyes burn and water terribly when I mow my pastures. Tonight they were burning so badly I could hardly see where to go.

Have you experienced this? Is there any way to manage the symptoms while I’m mowing? Tonight I did stop mowing back and forth (zero turn) and just keep making big circles in one continuous path around the outside edge of the unmowed grass. That seemed to help, I’m assuming because I wasn’t turning around and running right back through the disturbed grass I had just cut. But, boy, before that…OUCH!

Suggestions? Thanks!

[secuono]

Wear goggles and ventilator if needed.
I wear a light mask and simple goggles when stacking hay or moving a few bales. I’m not allergic, but I get too much dust in my nose/lungs and it also gets under my contact lenses.

[Palm_Beach]

Goggles.

[JB]

There are some good quality ventilated face masks that will, of course, cost a bit more than the cheap-o ones that are, IMHO, horrible for anything more than 5 minutes of use. There are also better quality goggles that are more similar to scuba masks, with a conforming rubber perimeter, so not just a general safety goggle which has gaps along the edges.

If you go to Home Depot or Lowes and ask someone in the construction/tools area they can show you options. Spend a little more for comfort and durability.

[seabreeze]

Thanks for the replies, everyone. I think I’d dismissed or omitted the option of goggles because I wear glasses, but my vision isn’t so poor I can’t see where to drive the mower without them…lol. And I hadn’t thought about a ventilator face mask, so I will check that out, too. Thanks for the tip about the mask, JB.

[JB]

There are lots of good goggles that fit over glasses

[Virginia_Horse_Mom]

I wear contacts and have eyes that get really sensitive to allergens. I’ve found if they are bothering me after mowing (I just mowed yesterday for hours), holding a warm washcloth for 5 minutes in the evening over each eye after the contacts are out really soothes me. It seems to help my tear ducts clear out pollen, etc. I follow that with good, soothing overnight drops, like genteel. Then if I put contacts back in the next morning, lots and lots of sterile saline drops help too.

[Sparrowette]

@Virginia Horse Mom

I wear contacts and have eyes that get really sensitive to allergens. I’ve found if they are bothering me after mowing (I just mowed yesterday for hours), holding a warm washcloth for 5 minutes in the evening over each eye after the contacts are out really soothes me. It seems to help my tear ducts clear out pollen, etc. I follow that with good, soothing overnight drops, like genteel. Then if I put contacts back in the next morning, lots and lots of sterile saline drops help too.

Another thing that is really soothing to the eyes is this, and you are going to think it’s weird, I know. But I’ve done this and it’s really soothing.

FINELY grate an organic potato to where you have about 3 or more Tablespoons of grated potato. Divide the grated potato in half, lie back and place a pile on each eye, and stay that way for about 20 minutes.

The potato must be organic – you don’t want all those pesticides in your eyes.

You have to have freshly grated potato because you want the juice to seep into your eyes and if you grate it ahead of time, it will dry out and oxidize. It’s no good then. Also, for some, finding 20 minutes to just rest with grated potato on your eyes may be tough, but it’s worth it.

[seabreeze]

Good tips. Thanks. Once I’m out of the grass, my eyes are fine, usually. They were a little puffy last night, though, because they were so terribly irritated. They sting so badly I can hardly keep them open and they water as much as if I were crying. It’s a fairly immediate reaction to whatever the irritant grass is that I’m mowing.

[jawa]

Systane makes eye drops that have something to sooth eyes due to allergies.

I mow with a zero turn and try to plan how I mow to avoid going back through the dust/pollen I just disturbed. Unfortunately due to the layout of certain farm features, I do have to turn back on my own path some. Turning a continuous circuit one direction (depending on wind) helps to keep the eye irritants to a minimum.

ALWAYS wear some sort of eye protection (glasses, sunglasses, goggles) when mowing. Ear protection with when mowing is another important thing, especially with zero turns. I find they tend to run louder than a standard mower.

[seabreeze]

I got some new goggles today and mowed my other pasture this evening. Didn’t have a moment’s problem, so the suggestion worked! Thanks, everyone!

FYI, my aunt mentioned today that her son used to have the very same problem. She said he used Naphcon eye drops, and they helped him quite a bit.

[Hulk]

I am glad the goggles worked. I have been considering them myself. Timely thread I must say.

[JB]

Yay for goggles!

[Texarkana]

My husband also wears goggles with a seal and a respirator style face mask. He also wears long sleeve linen shirts and pants-- they work well to keep him cool plus keep the pollen off his skin.

For whatever reason, my husband enjoys mowing despite his terrible allergies. He wants to do it.

[Sfbayequine]

I’m on all the same kinds of med for allergies and asthma. I use ketotifen (sp) eyedrops before I mow and on windy days. I tried goggles, but I was too hot and they steamed up lol. The drops are fantastic.

[seabreeze]

@Sfbayequine

I’m on all the same kinds of med for allergies and asthma. I use ketotifen (sp) eyedrops before I mow and on windy days. I tried goggles, but I was too hot and they steamed up lol. The drops are fantastic.

Thanks! Will look for them!