Curing Itchy Eyes with Home Remedies

Itchy eyes are one of the manifestations of conjunctivitis or pink eye, home remedies for pink eye include vegetable juices, Indian gooseberry, chamomile, potato, coriander and honey.

Pink eye is an inflammation of the conjunctiva, the membrane covering the white of the eye and inside of the eyelids.

In medical terms, pink eye is known as conjunctivitis.

The inflammation of the conjunctiva leads to redness of the eyes, itchy eyes, watering eyes and pain in the eyes. The most common cause for the pink eye is viral infection of the conjunctiva, an infection caused by several groups of common respiratory viruses. The conjunctivitis is also caused due to bacterial infection, allergic reaction and chemical or physical exposure.

Home Remedies for Pink Eye

• Vegetable Juices- Raw juices of certain vegetables are used as home remedies to treat pink eye. The vegetable juices of carrot and spinach have been found effective in conjunctivitis. The combined juice of these two vegetables has proved more effective. The combined juice is prepared by mixing 200ml of spinach juice with 300ml of carrot juice. A cup of this combined juice should be taken orally twice daily till the infection subsides.

• Indian Gooseberry- The juice of Indian Gooseberry mixed with honey helps to cure the conjunctivitis. In one cup of Indian Gooseberry juice, two teaspoons of honey should be added and taken twice daily to treat pink itchy eyes.

• Chamomile- The strain of dried chamomile flowers works as an excellent eyewash in conjunctivitis. One teaspoon of dried chamomile flowers are added to one cup of pre-boiled water, left for about ten minutes and then strained. The strain is allowed cool and used as an eyewash. The strain can also be made into an eye compress. Elderberry blossom tea can also be used for washing the eyes in conjunctivitis.

• Potato- Since the potato is an astringent, it helps to minimize the inflammation. The potato is peeled and made into thin slices, and slices are placed on the affected eye. For better results, potato slices are applied to the affected eye for minimum three consecutive nights. And also, placing a potato poultice on the affected eye for about twenty minutes helps reduce the inflammation.

• Coriander- In 60ml of water, a handful of dried coriander is put and boiled to prepare a decoction. This decoction is very effective as an eyewash in conjunctivitis. It reduces eye discharge, burning, swelling and pain.

• Honey- Honey has anti-bacterial and anti-microbial properties, hence it is a potent home remedy and can be used directly on the infected eye. Putting a drop or two directly on affected eye cures the pink eye caused by micro-organisms such as viruses and bacteria. And, it also soothes eye inflammation, reduces itchy eyes and promotes healing. Honey can also be used as an eyewash, in two cups of boiling water three teaspoons of honey is added and stirred. Then, it is allowed cool and used as an eyewash.

Itchy Eyes - Closing Thoughts

For immediate relief from the pink eye symptoms, one can use cold water fomentation. To subside the infection completely, the fomentation should be done for an hour daily at night for one week. The cold water fomentation heals the damaged eye tissues quickly and provides relief from redness of eyes, itchy eyes, pain in the eyes and swelling.