can this magic wand save my eyes from hay fever’s cruel grip?

Don’t get me wrong, summer is great. I love days spent sitting in the park, long walks, getting out in nature. The problem is, I’m not so sure nature likes me. As soon as my eyes get the first whiff of summertime, they decide to start streaming and I end up having to walk into the office with my sunglasses on, not as Anna Wintour cosplay, but because by the time I get in, my makeup is running down my face and I look like I’ve spent the morning crying. Yes, hay fever is a bummer.

So what is hay fever?

Hay fever is an allergic sensitivity to pollen and usually rears its head around spring and summer – basically as soon as the year gets good and you just want to go outside. The main symptoms of hay fever are sore, red and itchy eyes and a blocked or runny nose. Over the years, I’ve tried antihistamine pills, eye drops and humidifiers and, while these have helped, I’m always on the lookout for new suggestions to solve the dry eye symptoms that come with hay fever.

So, when I heard about Peep Club’s heated eye wand, I decided to give it a try. Founded by optometrist Nicola Mari-Alexander and her childhood friend Natasha Sales, a brand-strategist who suffers from such severe dry eyes that she had to leave a job she loved, Peep Club is serious about eye health.

Our eyes are so important. We use them to see the world and all the beauty the season of summer has to offer, but somehow, they’re often overlooked in the wellness space. We have daily rituals for our teeth and skin, but few of us have any kind of routine for our eye health. And hay fever isn’t the only cause of dry eyes either. Most of us stare at screens for hours at a time which can also trigger dry eye symptoms.

Peep Club's eye care range includes a range of products, from cleansing lash foam and relief eye spray to eye balm and a portable humidifier, but their hero dry eye solution is an LED heated eye wand that doubles up as a hay fever lifesaver as well as a relaxing home spa treatment. Could it be the saviour I’ve been looking for to release my eyes from hay fever’s cruel grip?

How does the Peep Club eye wand work?

The heated eye wand warms up, vibrates and releases LED light. Together, these three functions help improve eye comfort and hydration. “The eye wand is essentially a hot compress in a device,” says optometrist and Peep Club co-founder Nicola Mari-Alexander. “Hot compresses can warm the blocked oil glands around the eyes, helping naturally restore the quality of the tear film.”

Essentially, when you have dry eyes they can become red, itchy and watery because oil gets blocked from coming out of the glands around the eyes meaning that the oil isn’t there to keep the water on the surface of the eye. That’s why they get sore. Applying heat to your eyes helps them restore the tear film which protects your eyes. Meanwhile, the gentle vibrations massage the eyelid to increase circulation to the eye area, helping to de-puff both upper and lower eyelids. The red LED light works to promote collagen and elastin to smooth out fine lines and rejuvenate your eye area.

How do you use the Peep Club eye wand?

The rechargeable eye wand has three settings and its temperature can range from 37 to 42 degrees celsius. To use it, you should first apply an eye cream, balm or moisturiser and spread it evenly across your eyelids and around your eyes so the wand doesn’t pull on delicate skin. Then select the setting and temperature you’d like – if it’s your first time using it then start at 37 degrees and heat it up gradually. Run the wand across your eyelid in an inwards to outwards motion starting near your nose and working towards your temples. You can also slide the wand in the same direction underneath your eyes to reduce eye bags and puffiness.

What are the results?

I used Peep Club’s eye wand for the first time in the evening after a particularly bad few hay fever days. It felt like an at-home spa treatment, but as my eyes were very sore I had to make sure I applied very little pressure or it would hurt. I’d been staring at a screen all day and it was nice to do something that focused on giving my eyes a rest. It definitely feels like an act of self-care as it requires taking the time to care for your eyes rather than just quickly popping an antihistamine before you rush out the door. That said, it takes just one to two minutes of using this eye wand to work its magic.

[Peep Club’s eye wand](Peep club eye wand) was designed to soothe dry eyes, but it easily could have been designed as a way to wind down and de-stress. You can use it any time of day, but it’s best just before bed when you’re ready to give your eyes a rest. In terms of easing the symptoms of hay fever eyes, I still use eye drops in the mornings on days when the corners of my eyes are really sore, but I now look forward to coming home and soothing them with my eye wand too. It isn’t a cure for hay fever, but it does help. It’s worth using even if you don’t suffer from dry eye symptoms because, in my opinion, its best function is as a relaxing end of the day treat. Plus, if you use it under your eyes it helps reduce eye bags and puffiness, so it's worth carving out the time in your evening for.

Below, we’ve curated some more Peep Club products and other essentials that can help you ride out those dreaded hay fever symptoms and enjoy summer without crying every time the pollen count is high.

Hay fever products for dry eyes

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