It's that time of year again. As spring rolls back around, many of us will be snuffling, sneezing and itching our sore eyes thanks to the all too familiar hay fever . But one expert claims there's an unbelievably simple solution that can save us from suffering - and it involves items you probably have at home. Tina Patel, a contact lens optician at Feel Good Contacts , explains that you can dramatically reduce the puffiness, redness and swelling around your eyes using a cold compress. To do so, she recommends wrapping some ice cubes in two tea bags or towels and holding these on your closed lids. If you give this a go for five or 10 minutes, Tina claims that you should start to feel some relief. "Using a cold compress for 5-10 minutes a day will be extremely beneficial for reducing puffiness, redness and swelling from hay fever," she said. "This will provide quick and easy relief that will be much more effective than rubbing your eyes." Hay fever - or rhinitis - is an allergy that usually arises between late March and September. It takes place when our immune systems overreact to pollen, mould spores and other, similar allergens in the air. Aside from a cold compress, Tina also advises hay fever sufferers to wear sunglasses outside to prevent pollen from reaching the eyes as much as possible. And - no matter how much you want to - don't itch your face. "The act of rubbing your eyes releases histamine, which aggravates allergy symptoms further," she said. "Alongside this, rubbing your eyes with dirty hands is likely to expose eyes to bacteria. This can lead to infections such as conjunctivitis or styes, which will worsen your hay fever symptoms." If you wear contacts, it may be better to use daily lenses too. Albeit invisible, particles of pollen can stick to your clothes, hats and the surface of contact lenses. This can build up over time, creating an utter nightmare for allergy-suffering wearers. Tina added: "It would be favourable to consider switching to daily contact lenses, which means you can simply throw away the lenses after each use, preventing the buildup of allergens." Meanwhile, the NHS also recommends that sufferers avoid cutting the grass, keeping fresh flowers in the house and even letting pets outside, as they can carry the pollen back indoors. "Speak to a pharmacist if you have hay fever," its advice reads. "They can give you advice and suggest the best treatments to help with symptoms, such as: antihistamine drops, tablets or nasal sprays [and] steroid nasal sprays." Has this worked for you? Let us know in the comment section