Pink Eye
It can be frustrating when your child wakes up with matted eyes and inflamed tissue surrounding the eye.
Pink Eye (also known as conjunctivitis) will afflict most households at one point or another.
By paying careful attention to available home remedies for pinkeye you can work to prevent the affliction or lessen the effects should you or a family member be diagnosed.
Home Remedies For Pink Eye
The predominate causes for Pink Eye include allergies and bacterial infections, and irritants to the eyes. Below are a few natural cures you may consider using.
What Causes Pink Eye?
It can easily spread from one person to the other so care must be used if someone in your family has this condition. However there are also a variety of sexually transmitted diseases that can bring about a case of Pink Eye on a viral level.
Pink Eye Symptoms
Pink Eye is highly contagious and is often spread throughout a family or in a school setting. The symptoms are related to the irritation of the conjunctiva with is a covering in your eye that becomes inflamed and irritated. You might experience redness, watery and itchy eyes, yellow discharge and because of the infection, it could cause a sensitivity to light.
Natural Cures For Pinkeye
Below are some home remedies that can provide relief. Although if you are unsure about your symptoms, you should take a trip to the doctor.
Clean Hands
An effective home remedy for Pink Eye is to maintain clean hands. This includes the washing of the hands, but also refraining from touching other people.
Because of the highly contagious nature of Pink Eye it is a important to adopt a hands-off approach in prevention.
Child Quarantine
If your child is diagnosed with Pink Eye they should also be excluded from school activities until the issue is under control.
Cotton Ball And Boric Acid
A natural cure for Pink Eye that may surprise you is to clean the infected eye with a fresh cotton ball dipped in warm water. The used cotton ball should be disposed of and should never be used for both eyes.
You can also use a solution of pharmaceutical grade boric acid powder and water, follow these directions:
- Boil a cup of water then add one teaspoon of the boric acid and mix until the boric acid is completely dissolved.
- Let cool then use an eye rinse cup or soak a cotton ball in the solution and apply to affected eyes.
This can provide relief quickly and result in a reduction in symptoms as well as shortening the duration of the infection.
Use a new cotton ball for each eye and rinse the eye cup before using on the other eye. This can be done at least twice a day.
Soft Contact Lens Cleaner
If you have contact lenses, you will most likely have the lens cleaner at home. The use of readily available soft contact lens cleaner is another of the natural cures that seems to provide relief. Several users report that the symptoms of Pink Eye were virtually eliminated within an hour of application.
In a best case scenario the application of the lens cleaner should be completed with the use of an eyewash cup and a second cup should be utilized if the second eye is also infected.
If you do wear contact lenses, your doctor may want you to stop wearing them until the infection is gone and possibly discard them if possible.
Herbal Assistance
There are several herbal answers in the field of home remedies for Pink Eye. For instance, did you know that Belladonna, Pulsatilla, and Eyebright can be used to effect a natural remedy for Pink Eye?
Simply use these herbs to create eye drops that can be administered in a sanitary environment.
Prevent The Spread
Avoid using any wash cloth or towel that may have been used by someone infected with Pink Eye. This advice also holds true for clothing and eye care products or makeup.
Image courtesty of: Joyhill09
