It’s that time of the year when you’re prone to catching the pink eye and we know how painful it can get if you don’t treat it right. But, before we spill the secret home remedies that can help you treat the eye infection, let’s tell you what causes it.
What is Pink Eye?
When the white of the eye turns into red or pink in color, you tend to suffer from the conjunctivitis eye infection, commonly known as the pinkeye. Conjunctivitis or the Pink Eye infection are caused due to the inflammation of the conjunctiva. It is a clear membrane covering the outermost layer of the eye and the inner surface of the eyelids.
The worst thing is this is a highly contagious infection. Usually, caused by a virus, or a bacteria or an allergy, the infection lasts for over 2-3 days if treated properly.
Though anyone can catch pink eye, however, preschoolers, school children, college students, workers and people who are always surrounded by a huge crowd are at a higher risk due to their close proximity with others around.
The usual symptoms of conjunctivitis include the dilated eye blood vessel changing the color of the eye to reddish-pink; green or yellow discharge, a runny nose, swollen eyelids, and pain in the eye.
Best Home remedies for the treatment of Conjunctivitis
1. Use Honey
Honey is revered for its antibacterial properties. Pure honey can help heal the eye faster and soothe the eye muscles, thus reducing inflammation and pain.
How to use honey to cure pink eye: Dilute half a teaspoon of honey in a glass of distilled water. Rinse your eyes using this mixture at least four times a day.
Alternatively, take honey and milk in equal parts. Pour the honey in lukewarm milk (make sure it is just the right bit warm for your eye) and stir until the mixture becomes smooth. Take a clean eye drop and pour two to three drops of the potion in your eye several times a day.
If you find honey to sticky, you can also use this mixture as a compress for treating your pink eye. One can choose between a hot or a cold compress based on which one soothes their eye better.
2. Use Potato
This unique home remedy can work miracles on your swollen eyes. Potato contains natural astringent than can help in reducing the inflammation in the eye.
How to use a potato to cure pink eye: Grate a medium sized raw potato. Do not let the juice squeeze out. Place the grated potato on the cloth and create two batches. Close the eyelids and place the cloth batches on the eyelids. Leave it on for 20 minutes on the eyes. Rinse off with clean water. Repeat this two to three times in a day based on the inflammation.
3. Use Milk
Milk has soothing properties. To use milk to cure pink eye, make an eye wash by diluting ¼ cup of milk in a glass of clean water. Use this mixture to rinse your eye at least 2 to 3 times in a day. The soothing properties of the eye wash should start showing results in 24 hours and the inflammation and infection would start to reduce.
4. Use Tea
Tea can work wonders on eye infections. For a quick relief from the infection and swelling, use the tea remedy to cure pink eye. Take a cup of water and boil it. Place a tea bag in the hot water. Let the mixture cool. Once, the mixture cools down, take the tea bag and place it over your eyelid. Leave it on for 15 to 20 minutes. Rinse with the cool mixture prepared from tea and water. Repeat this process for about 3 times in a day and your pink eye would start showing recovery within 24 hours.
5. Use Ice cubes
The use of ice cubes is an extremely effective treatment for conjunctivitis. Wrap an ice cube in a wipe / cloth / or a tissue. Close your eyes and place it on your eyelid. Leave it on for as long as it takes the ice to melt or till the time you can bear the cool–whichever is earlier.
6. Use Basil
Basil as a herb has many benefits. For pink eye, take five to six fresh leaves of basil and wash them in clean water. Take about two glass of water and add these cleaned, fresh leaves to the water. Boil this mixture. Let it cool. Use this water to wash your eye for a speedy recovery.
7. Use Neem Oil
Neem essential oil is amongst one of the best antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory natural agents. The soothing properties and strong bacteria / virus fighting abilities can help you find quick relief. Take a clean cotton ball and pour a few drops of neem oil on it. Wipe this oil around the affected eye and place it over the eyelid before sleeping. You will see an instant relief and a speedy discharge.
Precautions one must take to heal the pink eye & prevent it from spreading:
- Stop wearing lenses: Wearing contact lenses can irritate the eye, helping the infection grow further. It is important to stop wearing the lenses until the eye starts to recover and redness reduces. Moreover, consult your doctor to throw away your disposable contacts. If your lenses are not disposable, clean and sanitise them thoroughly before using them again.
- Use over the counter eye drops: Artificial tears or over-the-counter eye drops can help in relieving the symptoms of pink eye. People suffering from allergic conjunctivitis can use eyedrops that contain antihistamines. It is advised that one should avoid using drops for red eye (like Vision or Clear Eyes) because they tend to soothe for a while but may cause rebound redness.
- Apply a compress to your eyes: If you have caught conjunctivitis, it is highly recommended that you apply a compress on your affected eye(s). Typically, cold water compress is ideal for pink eye and is considered to be the most soothing one. However, one can also use a warm water compress if that feels better. To make a compress, take a clean cloth and dip it in warm / cold water. Wring it properly before placing it on the eye. Place the cloth over the eyelids for 5 minutes. You can use a compress over the eyes several times a day. One can also use a mixture of milk and water too, to soak the cloth.Note: Remember to always use a separate set of cloth for both the eyes. This will reduce the risk of the infection spreading from one eye to the other.
- Do not strain your eyes: Conjunctivitis can turn in a painful eye irritant if your eyes are exposed to a lot of digital devices. Refrain from using your phone, camera, television, laptop or other such devices and let your eye muscles relax. The strain can worsen the infection. Moreover, the continuous discharge from the eye and the swollen eye muscles and can have a long term effect on your eye sight.
- Avoid public places while suffering from Pink Eye: Neither would you want others to catch the infection nor would you want to help it spread to your near and dear ones. Hence, it is best to avoid public contact, especially with kids, for two to three days until the infection subsides. However, in the case of unavoidable circumstances, one must wear sunglasses at all times to avoid the infection from spreading.
- Take rest: One of the most effective ways to let your eye heal is to let your body do the work. If you give an adequate amount of rest to your eye, stay away from excessive radiation and light, and sleep enough, your body’s response to fighting the microbes will fasten. So, rest. A lot!
- Do not swim with goggles: When suffering from the infection, do not go into the pool. Also, whenever you go swimming, as a precautionary measure, always wear swimming goggles to avoid harmful virus and bacteria to enter your eye.
- Use an eyewasher: It is also a good idea to use an eye washer (using purified water). Ideally, one should use it at least five to ten times in a day to speed up the recovery. Always make sure that it is well sterilized before use. Also, re-sterilize it everytime before usage. To ensure the infection does not spread in the other eye, a separate eye washer should be used for each eye.
- General Instructions: Do not rub or touch the eyes often. Use a clean, dry tissue to wipe the discharge. Do not share your tissues, hand towels, contact lenses or clothes with anyone when you’re infected or when they are suffering from conjunctivitis. Use a sanitizer whenever possible.
When should you seek medical help?
Generally, pink eye or conjunctivitis heals within a span of two to three days. However, it the pain does not seem to reduce, or any of the following holds true, you should see your eye doctor immediately.
a) When there is mild to intense pain in your eye(s)
b) There’s no improvement in the infection after 24 hours
c) Redness in the eye seems to increase
d) Symptoms don’t seem to improve
e) Vision blurs and there is increased sensitivity to light
f) And if one suffers from diseases like cancer, HIV, or severe eye infections
We hope you like the information shared in the article. If you have more such tried and tested home remedies for Pink eye,share them with our readers in the comments below.
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