Trees, grass and flowering plants reawaken in the spring, and as part of their reproductive cycle, send pollen into the air. The Early Show medical contributor Dr. Emily Senay said that some of the pollen enters our bodies and is recognized by our immune systems as a foreign substance, which causes antibodies to produce histamine to destroy the pollen.
Histamine irritates the eyes and respiratory system. Dr. Senay said that it's difficult to tell whether this spring will be a good or bad one for allergy sufferers, but there are some inexact ways to predict.
"Usually if you have a mild winter, a wet winter, you can start to experience symptoms probably earlier because the trees may get a head start," she said.
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