Overview of ocular allergy treatment.

A plethora of drugs is available for the treatment of ocular allergy. Traditional treatment includes antihistamine and antihistamine/vasoconstrictor combination eyedrops. These drugs are useful, safe, and readily available. Mast cell stabilizers are safe, effective, and an important component of antiallergic therapy. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs also have antiallergic effects. In recent years, drugs with multiple mechanisms of action have proven to be effective antiallergics. These drugs often have mast cell stabilizing, antihistaminic, and anti-inflammatory properties. Corticosteroids are considered to be more potent than other antiallergic drugs, and modifications in their molecular structures have made certain corticosteroids suitable for the treatment of ocular allergy.