Allergies to Ocean Air

We are veterans of over 20 cruises and my wife is plagued by some kind of an allergy by the third day on every cruise. She has an eye irritation that begins with itching and progress to watering, redness and makes her miserable. She has tried ship doctors and eye doctors but with no success. Does anyone have a similar problem or solution?

I have had various allergies come and go throughout my life. Some of them are caused by the most bizarre things, and some of them have cropped up after decades of exposure to the item.

Are you certain that your wife is allergic to ocean air, or could it be something on the ship? Does your wife have a reaction if she is near the shore (if you go to the beach, rather than boarding a ship)? If she doesn't have a reaction at the shore (or within a few miles of the shore), then I would suspect she is having a reaction to either a component of the ship, something on the ship, or something that the ship emits (i.e., diesel).

Ships use so many chemicals that it could be anything that is causing a reaction - from cleansers to laundry detergent to emissions from the furniture.

I always find that my nose is stuffed up after dinner on the ship. I have previously had allergies to MSG, and suspect that the kitchen uses this as a seasoning or preservative, but it could be almost anything else. Unfortunately determining what is causing the reaction is a matter of trial and error. In your wife's shoes, I would probably plan to take something like Claritin every day or use Visine Allergy Eyes as necessary.

The best bet is always to visit an allergist and ensure that it isn't anything more serious than a minor reaction. A good allergist is often like a detective - they can help you figure out what is causing the problem.