COLORADO SPRINGS — It's not your imagination! Every time you step outside your eyes may itch, your nose runs and before you know it, the sneezing begins.
Local experts say the pollen levels this year have been sky high.
"We've seen grass pollen just explode this year," explained Dr. James Fulton at Allergy and Associates.
The good news is we made it through a mild winter. The bad news is that gave time for plenty of greenery to spread, sprout and grow this year. As soon as winter fades into spring, pollen gets spread around. It can get into your eyes, nose, and throat, causing the seasonal allergy symptoms that so many suffer through.
Fulton says taking a daily over-the-counter medication to help your body fight off the symptoms.
"We start with the lower tier medications to help surpress those symptoms," Fulton said. "That might be as easy as doing a nasal salt water wash daily."
There's also the issue of air quality. For those who have other respiratory issues, like asthma, a combination of allergies and too much Ozone in the air is not a good mix. Your asthma could be triggered by allergies and bad air quality.
"An air quality alert means that the air conditions are not helpful to the natural environment," said Samantha Bailey, an environmental planner. "It's also not helpful to human health as well, and people with breathing issues have to be particularly careful."
On Wednesday, residents in southern Colorado were told to avoid being outside for long periods of time because of the air quality. Bailey says air quality should not be an issue for the rest of the week.
