MILLIONS of us are plagued by irritating, uncomfortable and sometimes painful hay fever symptoms. Thankfully, they tend to be short-lived and can be treated with over-the-counter medicines and home remedies . But in some instances, these symptoms could be a sign of something more serious, including cancer , experts warn.
This is rare, but it is important to be able to recognise when you could be at risk. So whether it's itchy eyes , a runny nose or a painful headache , here are eight of the most common hay fever symptoms and when they could indicate something more sinister is going on. Most people with hay fever will be familiar with agonising eye irritation that comes with it.
Whether you're left dying to itch your waterline, have bright red inner corners or your peepers simply won't stop watering, it can be a real pain. But if your eye irritation lasts for a long time, particularly if well past your other symptoms, it could be a sign of something more sinister. One symptom of eye cancer , also known as ocular cancer, is "eye irritation that is not going away", according to the NHS .
Others include blurred vision , bulging, a lump on the eyelid, partial or total vision loss, a dark patch that's getting bigger or shadows, flashes of light or wiggly lines in your vision . "These symptoms can also be caused by more minor eye conditions, so they're not necessarily a sign of cancer," the health service adds. "But it's important to get the symptoms checked by a doctor as soon as p.