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What are the Best Home Remedies for Pink Eye?

Ron Marr
Ron Marr

There are few infections that are more bothersome and irritating than pink eye. Babies, kids, adults, and even dogs, cats, cows, goats, and guinea pigs can contract the malady. Known as conjunctivitis in medical circles, pink eye generally comes in the categories of bacterial, allergic, and viral. Home remedies for pink eye include warm compresses, homeopathic eye drops, and eye rinses, but some cases require medical solutions.

To help relieve the general discomfort that comes with a case of pink eye, a patient should apply warm compresses to the bloodshot, swollen, mucous-secreting eye a number of times per day. Eye drops containing substances such as chamomile and belladonna can also be applied throughout the day. Patients may want to try placing teabags over the eyes and using a boric acid or saltwater eyewash. Some people have been know to wash out the afflicted eye with warm water that has been infused with a few drops of honey.

Honey can be used in an eye wash to treat pink eye.
Honey can be used in an eye wash to treat pink eye.

None of these home remedies for pink eye have been proven successful in clinical tests. They are neither recommended nor suggested, and belong more to the “old wives tale” category of possible cures. The only certain way to care for a case of pink eye is for the sufferer to visit a medical professional and follow his or her advice. Although pink eye normally doesn’t cause any lasting or permanent damage to vision, it still needs to be treated.

Eye drops are sometimes recommended to relieve pink eye.
Eye drops are sometimes recommended to relieve pink eye.

For a case of bacterial pink eye, a medical professional will usually prescribe antibiotic eye drops, which should completely eliminate the problem after just a few days of use. Viral pink eye, as is true with all viruses, does not respond to antibiotics, and it simply has to run its course. In this case, some of the home remedies might be tried, but it's best for the patient to talk to the medical professional first to make sure that the treatment is safe. If a person has pink eye caused by an allergy, drops that contain antihistamines, steroids, or some sort of anti-inflammatory medication will usually solve the problem.

It is possible for a guinea pig to contract pink eye.
It is possible for a guinea pig to contract pink eye.

The best home remedies for pink eye involve making sure that no one else in the family catches it. This is a highly contagious infection, and so there should be no sharing of towels or pillowcases. Everyone in the home should wash his or her hands multiple times a day with hot, soapy water, and avoid touching his or her eyes.

Discussion Comments

SarahGen

@feruze-- I know it sounds weird, but it really works! It's one of the best home remedies for pink eye in children. I've seen my sister do this with my niece and nephew. She puts just a drop or two of breastmilk when they have a pink eye. Within hours, their symptoms start clearing up. The discharge lessens and they don't touch their eye as much anymore. I don't know how it works exactly, but it must be the antibodies in the breastmilk.

If you're not comfortable with it, just see a pediatrician. There are eye drops and ointments for pink eye that work well too.

bear78

I keep hearing that for breastfeeding babies with pink eye, breast milk is the best remedy. Is this true? Does it really work?

discographer

When I had pink eye, I used to clean my eye with hot water several times a day. My eye doctor told me this pink eye home remedy to quicken healing.

I would boil some water and then put a few drops of baby shampoo in it. Then I would dip a cotton ball in the water and wipe my eye with it. It also helped to keep the cotton ball on my eye for five to ten seconds.

I think this method kills bacteria and helps treat the infection.

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    • Honey can be used in an eye wash to treat pink eye.
      By: Jaimie Duplass
      Honey can be used in an eye wash to treat pink eye.
    • Eye drops are sometimes recommended to relieve pink eye.
      By: vgstudio
      Eye drops are sometimes recommended to relieve pink eye.
    • It is possible for a guinea pig to contract pink eye.
      By: Magalice
      It is possible for a guinea pig to contract pink eye.
    • Those near people with pink eye should wash hands frequently and avoid touching the eyes to protect against getting the infection.
      By: Delphimages
      Those near people with pink eye should wash hands frequently and avoid touching the eyes to protect against getting the infection.
    • Antibiotic eye drops are prescribed for conjunctivitis, which can affect dogs and cats as well as humans.
      By: pixphoto
      Antibiotic eye drops are prescribed for conjunctivitis, which can affect dogs and cats as well as humans.
    • Pink eye that occurs as a result of allergies usually clears up on its own.
      By: Stacy Barnett
      Pink eye that occurs as a result of allergies usually clears up on its own.
    • Pink eye, also known as conjunctivitis, is an infection, inflammation, or irritation of the conjunctiva, the clear mucous membrane that covers the outside of the eye.
      By: joshya
      Pink eye, also known as conjunctivitis, is an infection, inflammation, or irritation of the conjunctiva, the clear mucous membrane that covers the outside of the eye.