Pink eye or conjunctivitis can be a major irritant in your daily affairs. The following article provides information about the various natural remedies to get rid of a pink eye.
When the conjunctiva, or the membrane that covers the white part (sclera) of the eye, is inflamed, the result is a pink eye. It usually causes itching, sensitivity to light, burning, general irritation, and pain. This condition can be contagious when caused due to a bacterial or viral infection. In other cases, it can be caused due to certain allergens and dust particles present in the air, but in this case it is not contagious. It occurs more often in kids than in adults because of their exposure to group activities, such as playing together. Also, kids who are affected by cold are more susceptible to the occurrence of pink eye.
Natural Remedies
Due to time constraints, most of us tend to ignore minor irritations in the eye, and pass it off as an affair that will last only a day. However, if you do not have the time to visit the doctor, these natural remedies will help treat pink eye in as early as one day. These remedies are effective, do not have any side effects, and will save your visit to the doctor.
- Not many may be aware of an easily available herb called eyebright. Add 1tsp of this herb to 1 cup of boiling water, and keep it for few minutes. Use it as an eye wash after straining the leaves and cooling the solution. This should help get rid of the pink eye in one day.
- Fennel, a herb, was known as the herb of sight among ancient Romans. It is effective to reduce the pain, swelling, and inflammation that is caused due to conjunctivitis. Add a few fennel leaves in water and boil it. After the solution cools, strain the leaves and use the solution to wash the eyes. It helps in clearing cloudy vision caused due to a pink eye.
- Chamomile is another effective herb to cure a pink eye. Placing a damp chamomile tea bag on the infected eye for ten minutes at night has proven to treat this condition in a day or two.
- In case of a discharge from the infected eye, use a solution of jasmine soaked overnight in distilled water to wash the eye. It has a soothing effect and helps control the symptoms.
- Aloe vera juice may also be used to wash the infected eye to get rid of the condition. One may even use a cloth soaked in aloe vera juice, as a compress for the affected eye.
- One drop of castor oil, thrice a day will help rid the pink eye naturally. For the best results, apply this oil as soon as the symptoms start developing.
Use of herbal remedies to treat any kind of ailment is always a suitable alternative, as it has no side effects. If the condition still prevails, it may be an alarm for a more serious condition in the eye. In such a case, avoid trying various methods for treatment at home and visit an ophthalmologist at the earliest. Eye is the most delicate organ and imparts the most important sense that is vision, therefore do not want to fiddle with your vision.
When the pink eye is caused due to a virus or bacterium, then ensure that you do not touch your infected eye, and then touch your other eye with the same hand. This will cause infection in both the eyes. Another important thing to remember is to maintain personal hygiene at all times. Avoid rubbing the eyes constantly, as this will bring them in contact with various allergens present on the hands. Also, those who wear contact lenses should be more careful with the hygiene of the lenses, as dirt tends to collect on the lens if not cleaned thoroughly. Also, swimming in public spaces can put one at a higher risk of contracting this eye problem.
Even though pink eye is generally passed off as a minor infection, it may get severe. Therefore, use the aforementioned remedies to get rid of the condition and prevent its occurrence.
Disclaimer: This HolisticZine article is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.
