14 Home Remedies For Dry Eyes
Common dry eye conditions are a pain. While you may be tempted to reach for the nearest eye drops, you’re not doing your eye any favors. Eye drops mask dryness instead of treating the underlying cause. They’re also costly and contains a slew of chemicals. Instead, give these simple remedies a try.
1. Staying Hydrated Is Vital
Dry eyes could be a signal that your body is dehydrated, and you’re not drinking enough water. Prevention Magazine states that drinking plenty of water will help to keep the mucous membranes around your eyes moist (4).
While the recommended daily amount of water is 8-10 glasses, you may have to drink more hydrate and relieve dry eyes. Hydration is especially important if you’re regularly drinking coffee (a diuretic), or live in a dry and windy climate.
To stay hydrated:
- Ensure you’re drinking 8 + glasses of water regularly throughout the day.
- Remove excess salt from your diet.
- Reduce your intake of caffeine, high-protein foods, and alcohol.
2. Wash Your Eyelids For Relief
While we don’t always think about our eyelids, keeping them clean will help them function properly. Developing a regular cleaning routine is essential to reduce irritation and eye inflammation.
When you clean your eyelids, you’re removing debris and oils from around the eyelashes. This helps decrease the quantity of bacteria forming around the eyelids and relieve red itchy eyes.
To use:
- Wet a cloth with warm water.
- Apply the cloth to your eyes for 5 minutes.
- Use a mild, eye-safe soap or cleaning solution and lather it in your hands.
- Use your fingers to gently massage the soap onto your closed eyelids.
- Carefully rinse your eyelids and pat dry.
3. Try A Warm Compress
According to Health Line, using a warm compress not only provides relief to sore eyes, but it can help to release some of the oil in your eyelids’ glands and, in turn, improve the quality of your tears (5).
Here’s how to make a warm compress:
- Boil some water and leave it to cool until it’s a warm temperature.
- Soak a clean flannel or an eye pad in the warm water.
- Gently place the flannel or pad over the eyes for around 10 minutes.
- Reheat the compress when you find it becoming cold by soaking it in the warm water and reapplying to your eyes.
4. Coconut Oil Eye Salvation
Is there nothing coconut oil can’t do? Due to its composition of fatty acids, coconut oil can play a key role in helping to reduce the symptoms of dry eye syndrome by acting as a moisturizing agent for your eyes. You can also use coconut oil as a lubricant that fights eye inflammation.
All-natural lubricating eyes drops don’t exist yet, to here’s what you can do:
- Soak a cotton ball in coconut oil.
- Place the cotton ball directly on your closed eyelids.
- Leave there for 15 minutes.
- Repeat at regular intervals throughout the day.
5. Use Castor Oil
In 2002 a study was published in Ophthalmology which established that castor oil eye drops are an effective and safe way to treat meibomian gland dysfunction, one of the causes of dry eyes (6).
The ricinoleic acid in the oil works as an anti-inflammatory agent. This helps relieve itching, irritation, burning and pain associated with dry eye syndrome. The oil can also help reduce tear evaporation.
When using this home remedy, ensure to buy a pure and organic cold pressed castor oil.
- Using an eye dropper, place one drop of castor oil in each eye
- To keep your eyes moisturized and to reduce redness, repeat the process twice daily.