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Ocular discomfort (e.g. burning, dry and itching eyes) is among top 2 symptoms in office environments. The ophthalmological explanation is aqueous-deficient dry eye and evaporative dry eye and exposure to allergens, while indoor air pollutants causing chemesthesis generally is the rationale of the indoor environmental community. Review of salient environmental, occupational, and personal risk factors, that alter the precorneal tear film (PTF), reveals at least three mechanisms resulting in ocular discomfort. First, the PTF structure is altered by a physical process that increases the emission rate of aqua loss resulting in hyperosmolarity, gland dysfunctions, and associated discomfort. Second, the structural composition of the outermost lipid layer of the PTF is altered by aggressive aerosols and combustion products, both indoors and outdoors, that facilitate loss of aqua, and possibly chemesthesis. Third, strong sensory irritating pollutants cause chemesthesis by trigeminal stimulation. In general, organic and inorganic indoor air pollutant concentrations are too low causing chemesthesis, but the odor may cause reported discomfort. The total risk of ocular discomfort is exacerbated by physical alteration of the PTF by visual tasking and climate conditions (low humidity, high temperature, and draft); further, personal factors like age, gender and use of certain medication also influence the overall stability of the PTF.

1.1. A suspension of a new water-insoluble whole ragweed pollen complex, believed to be more representative of all the allergenic components as they appear in the pollen and in a form which lends itself to slow absorption, was prepared. 2.2. The suspension can be standardized by a weight method which takes into account all antigenic fractions present. 3.3. A direct correlation between the nitrogen value and weight of the alum-precipitated pyridine whole ragweed complex is obtained. 4.4. A series of seventy-eight adult patients, highly sensitive to ragweed pollen, were treated with the suspension. Ten patients of this group continued their treatment on a monthly basis after having completed a course of preseasonal injections. 5.5. A greater tolerance for the suspension was noted (often twice the amount attained with aqueous extract was given with safety and often with one-half the number of injections). 6.6. Constitutional reactions were mild, delayed, and infrequent. 7.7. Excellent clinical relief was obtained following treatment of extremely sensitive patients treated with the suspension. 8.8. There was a notable absence of itching of the eyes in the hay fever patients treated with the suspension. 9.9. The symptom of itching eyes may be caused by the oil fraction of pollen, and the observed absence of this symptom following treatment may have been the result of successful immunization with the whole pollen extract which also contained the oil fraction.