Pink eye (conjunctivitis) is an inflammation or infection of the transparent membrane (conjunctiva) that lines your eyelid and covers the white part of your eyeball.
When small blood vessels in the conjunctiva become inflamed, they’re more visible. This is what causes the whites of your eyes to appear reddish or pink.
Pink eye is commonly caused by a bacterial or viral infection, an allergic reaction, or — in babies — an incompletely opened tear duct.
Though the pink eye can be irritating, it rarely affects your vision. Treatments can help ease the discomfort of pink eye. Because pink eye can be contagious, early diagnosis and treatment can help limit its spread.
Symptoms
The most common pink eye symptoms include:
- Redness in one or both eyes
- Itchiness in one or both eyes
- A gritty feeling in one or both eyes
- A discharge in one or both eyes that forms a crust during the night that may prevent your eye or eyes from opening in the morning
- Tearing
Home Remedies For Treating pink Eye
Cold Water
Splash your eyes regularly with cold water. This will help decrease the pain and discomfort. You can also apply a cold press to bring relief. Coldwater will not only remove the infection-causing bacteria, but it will also treat the symptoms attached to the pink eye.
Boric Powder
This powder is armed with strong and effective bacteria-fighting chemicals that are safe for the eyes. Get 300 ml cold water and mix 2 tbsp boric powder in it. Now splash your eyes with this boric powder-treated water.
You can also put a cloth in this chemical treated solution and put it over your eyes to let the relief sink in. Keep re-doing this over your eyes at least 10 to 12 times a day till the time the eye infection gets healed.
Cold And Hot Compresses
This is a good medium to soothe the pink eyes. Keep alternating the cold compress (apply it for 5 minutes) with hot compress (apply it for 2 minutes). Repeat this for 15 minutes. You can do it any time of the day. There is no hard and fast rule in getting comfort from pink eye.
Tea Bags For The Eye Treatment
Tea bags contain antioxidants that soothe the eye nerves thereby providing you relief from pain. All you need to do is place used tea bags in the refrigerator for few hours and then put them over the pink eye.
Keep repeating this frequently. Tea bags help reduce the intensity of the eye infection and speed up the healing of conjunctivitis.
Honey
Honey is a great aid when it comes to fat loss, skin shine, and even pink eye treatment.
Combine 3 tbsp honey with 20 ml water to treat pink eyes in children. Dip a cotton cloth (preferably clean) in this solution and squeeze it before putting it over the child’s eyes. Repeat this 4-5 times during the day to get optimum results.
Make sure the honey that you are using is pure and unadulterated. Organic honey is the best bet in such a situation. Honey has loads of antibacterial and antiseptic properties that help treat conjunctivitis.
Potato Juice
The juice of the potato is worth its salt. The enzymes in the potato juice reduce redness and inflammation in the pink eyes. Grind a medium-sized potato in the mixer without adding water or any other liquid.
After a blade pulse of 10-15 seconds, stop the grinder and make sure that there are no lumps. Now squeeze out the mashed potato using your hands. The juice that comes out of it should be kept aside.
Put a cotton ball in the juice, and allow it to rest over your eyes after squeezing the juice. Leave it for 15-20 minutes, then remove the cotton balls and wash your eyes with cold water. Do it four times a day.
Onion Juice
Peel 2 onions, wash them, grate them and squeeze the juice. To 30 ml of onion juice, combine 50 ml of cold water. After mixing the two, apply the treated solution over your infected eyes using a clean cotton cloth and let it stay for about 10 minutes. Keep doing it three times a day to benefit from onion juice remedy.
Oatmeal Powder
Mix 2 tbsp of oatmeal powder in cold water measuring 200 ml. Now keep splashing your eyes with this solution 5 to 6 times on a daily basis to counter bacteria and reduce eye puffiness.
Remember pink eyes can be contagious, meaning spread from one person to another in your family and social friend circle. Therefore, it’s important to take precautionary measures in the form of home remedies to salvage the situation.
When to see a doctor
There are serious eye conditions that can cause eye redness. These conditions may cause eye pain, a feeling that something is stuck in your eye (foreign body sensation), blurred vision and light sensitivity. If you experience these symptoms, seek urgent care.
People who wear contact lenses need to stop wearing their contacts as soon as pink eye symptoms begin. If your symptoms don’t start to get better within 12 to 24 hours, make an appointment with your eye doctor to make sure you don’t have a more serious eye infection related to contact lens use.
