Pink eye or conjunctivitis develops due to inflammation and irritation of the conjunctiva resulting in pains, itchiness and tearing. Pink eye is often caused due to mostly viral infection though at times bacterial infection or presence of some allergy could also elicit the conditions. Newly born (3-4 week old) babies and children could contract pink eye.
Bacterial and viral conjunctivitis is particularly communicable and as the condition often develops in kids, it could be quite a task keeping kids from transmitting it both the eyes. Usually, infection would develop in a single eye and then spreading to the other eye as well.
Although special OTC (over-the-counter) eye drops like Opcon-A or Naphcon-A having antihistamine for blood vessel constriction could be tried, but there are also several proven and effectual pink eye home remedies.
Pink Eye Home Remedies
- Boiling a cupful of water and adding a teaspoon of chamomile flowers (dried form) and steeping it for nearly 10 minutes and then straining. After the mix reaches room temperature it could be used as eyewash or made into a compress. Readily available chamomile tea bags could be used by simply placing chilled, moistened tea bags for ten minutes and repeating it in two to three hours.
- Soaking jasmine flowers for around ten hours and use the solution as eye drops.
- Elderberry blossom tea used as eye wash is one of the most ideal pink eye home remedies.
Eyebright or Euphrasia officinalis (a teaspoonful) could be infused in a cupful of hot water and allowing it to cool down and then straining it. Placing the tea is an eye cup (obtainable at several chemists) and using it in the suggested manner. Alternately, washing affected eye with a cupful of water (boiling and then cooling) and adding five droplets of Eyebright tincture and using cotton balls for eye application. Eyebright tincture must never be directly applied to the eyes.- Boiling fennel seeds in water, straining it and then using as eye wash. This treatment helps in reducing reddishness, pains and inflammation.
- Placing 1-2 drops honey direct on the eyes or putting three tablespoons honey into two cupfuls of boiling water, stirring till honey totally dissolves in it, cooling it and then using it as an eye wash two to three times in a day. The antiseptic properties of honey would additionally have a soothing effect on the eye which would promote faster healing.
- Tepid compresses of lavender and rose oil by placing a couple of drops on warm washcloth and application to eyes till it cools down.
- Bioflavonoids present in tea could aid in warding off and reducing inflammation and using moistened or partly used tea bags. Tannic acid presences in teas (green, black teas) are additionally greater soothers of eye itchiness.
- The astringent and inflammation-allaying properties of potato could be used on the infected eye as slices or making into poultice and placing over eyes for 20 minutes and doing so for at least 3 successive nights.
- Adding two teaspoons of turmeric powder to a cupful of boiled water to be used as tepid compresses.
- Soaking a cloth with Aloe Vera extract and placing on affected eye or employed as eye washes.
- Warm milk or salt water could be used as an eye wash or as compresses.
- Application of yoghurt-based poultice could help in allaying inflammation.
- Mixing a teaspoon baking soda in two cupfuls water to make a refreshing and pacifying eye wash.
- Grinded barberry root bark along with a cupful of water could be made into a tea by boiling the mix for thirty minutes and then using as eye wash or compresses. The anti-bacterial compound berberine present in barberry effectively treats pink eye.
- Making a mix of 1-quarter hot water and a tablespoonful boric acid, cooling it and using over the eyes with a cloth 3 times a day.
- Cold bread application to shut eyes or even a drop castor oil thrice a day application to the eyes is vastly beneficial.
