As an institute that helps patients fight allergies, the Allergy and Immunology Center admits numerous patients who suffer from conjunctivitis daily. Pink eye or conjunctivitis is a widespread condition often described as a “cold” in the eyes. It can be either infective (viral or bacterial), allergic (when a person is allergic to dust or pollen), or irritant (when something triggers a reaction in your eyes, such as a lash or swimming pool water, etc.).
Pink eye is not a severe condition, but that does not make it any less uncomfortable, especially if it is the infective type, which can be transmitted to other people. Also, conjunctivitis can be followed by different symptoms such as:
- Pain
- Blurred vision
- Swelling
- Burning
- Redness
- Itching
- Discharge from the eye
- Sensitiveness to light
All of these symptoms are not considered severe, but anyhow they need to be remedied in a timely manner, especially if you are suffering from contagious pink eye.
How Do You Get Pink Eye?
To prevent something, you need to know its origin, i.e., where it comes from. Conjunctivitis, as mentioned, has several types, but two of them are highly contagious. As they come from several different viruses and bacteria, they can spread in a variety of different ways, such as:
- Touching or shaking hands with an infected person
- By coughing and sneezing
- Touching a surface that has contagious substances on it and touching your face or eyes afterward without previously washing your hands
Home Remedies for Conjunctivitis
When it comes to pink eye remedies, especially those which you can prepare for yourself, several options are seen as quite efficient pink eye treatments, as experts share.
It is essential to mention the main difference between bacterial and viral conjunctivitis. If your pink eye is caused by bacteria, you can expect to feel better in a day or two after starting a course of antibiotic eye drops or creams. If you have viral conjunctivitis, there is no pink eye treatment that a doctor can prescribe for you. It is just a matter of waiting for it to pass on its own and using some tricks to ease the symptoms.
In many cases, conjunctivitis clears up on its own, but sometimes the pain, itchiness, burning, and redness can be pretty disturbing, and you will need to do something about that.
Below we are bringing you some home remedies for conjunctivitis, which might be very helpful to you because, for most of them, you do not even need to leave your house to feel better.
Keep Your Eyes Clean!
Stop wearing contact lenses when you struggle with pink eye because they can cause additional irritation, which does not help with conjunctivitis. Also, thoroughly disinfect your contact lenses and buy new ones once the condition has passed.
Clean the area around your eyes regularly because if the discharge occurs, it can cause the spread of the infection and worsen your condition. Pay attention to the washcloths you use; ensure no one in your household uses the same one.
Take a break from wearing makeup when you have conjunctivitis because it can slow down your recovery process. Also, you might need to throw away the cosmetics you used before getting pink eye to avoid repeated infections.
Wash your hands before but also after touching the infected area to stop the spread of the infection.
Warm and Cold Compresses
Experts often advise using warm or cold compresses when speaking about pink eye remedies. You are supposed to put them over the infected eye so that the moisture can help dissolve any sticky discharge or crust which might build up overnight. This is most often recommended for allergic conjunctivitis.
The cold compresses also soothe the eyes when they are swollen or itchy, so use ice or cold cloths to soothe your eyelids. On the other hand, sometimes the pink eye symptoms include sticky, thick discharge which causes the lids to stick together, so warm cloths can help loosen the discharge and help you separate your lids and lashes more easily.
Eye Drops or Artificial Tears
Lubricating eye drops are one of the main options for pink eye treatment. They have been proven to rinse irritants from the eyes, regardless of whether it is pollen, animal dander, or some other ingredient causing issues.
Try to choose eye drops that do not have any harmful, irritating chemicals, and when pouring the eye drops into the infected eye, refrain from contaminating the tip of the bottle, because you can spread the infection in this way.
Placing the drops in the fridge before usage can help with discomfort, burning, and redness of the infected eye. Eye drops containing the herb Euphrasia have been researched, and they are very often recommended by experts as one of the best options when it comes to pink eye treatments.
Additional Information
People also often recommend chamomile tea and honey as two ingredients that can help cure conjunctivitis. They recommend using them in the following way:
- Boil water for five minutes, and then after letting it cool down, place a spoon of honey in it. Afterward, soak a cloth in the mix and cover your eyes. The water should not be too hot, meaning it should not burn, but cause a comfortable, warm feeling.
- Let a bag of chamomile tea cool down, and then place the bag over the infected eye. Again, the bag should not be hot but warm to soothe the infection rather than burn your eyelids.
Also, there are always over-the-counter remedies, such as anti-inflammatories, when you start experiencing pain during your pink eye infection. Before taking this option, please discuss it with your medical professional.
Resting is known to help soothe pink eye because rest energizes the body and our immune system, so it might be helpful for you to drink plenty of water, have a good rest, eat healthy food and try to be as stress-free as possible.
Prevention Tactics
When it comes to preventing conjunctivitis, the most important thing is to have solid eye hygiene every day. This includes cleaning your contact lenses and glasses every day with special substances, washing your hands before touching your eyes and the surrounding area, avoiding rubbing the eyes if your hands are not clean, removing makeup before bed, cleaning your makeup pencils, eating a healthy diet, avoiding people who are infected with pink eye, separating face towels in your household, and wearing protection if you are working with dangerous chemicals.
Let Us Help You!
Suffering from pink eye can be quite nerve-wracking and embarrassing. Our center is here for you to give advice and guidance on the best, most efficient treatment path. Try to follow the advice in this article to the best of your abilities, and if you have any additional questions, our expert team is here for you!