★★★★☆
My eyes are dry, especially my right eye. I wear contacts as well as glasses. (Mostly contacts, extended wear.) My eye doc once asked me if I sleep with my eyes open. I asked why and she mentioned something about dry eyes. That was years ago.
I had read about coconut oil being used in the eyes for parasites and even though my condition was different, I felt like it wouldn't hurt to put coconut oil in my own eyes. I did some research and decided to go ahead. I opened a fresh jar of coconut oil (organic unrefined), washed my hands, removed my lenses, got a clean spoon, and scooped out a tiny bit with the tip of the spoon.
Coconut oil melts pretty much as soon as it hits skin so I thought it should melt quickly in my eye as well. (I keep my unopened jars of coconut oil on the floor in my office so the oil is usually more on the solid side.)
I went into the bathroom (better lighting though I didn't really need to see anything) and held my head back. Then I realized I didn't want to put the spoon in my eye so I put a little oil on the tip of my clean finger. I kind of swiped my finger in my eye just enough to get the oil in without actually touching my eye with my finger. It felt soothing then it burned a tiny bit. Not in a bad way, much the same as when I use my saline to flush my eyes when they feel dirty or gritty after returning home from being out all day.
I used a cotton swab to swipe lightly across my eyeball, in an effort to remove any dirt or debris that might be present. Then I added more oil and rolled my eyeball back and forth a few times, to make sure it got under my eyelid, etc. After a while, it felt really good. Then I did the other eye.
The downside was that the oil left a film on my eyes, which meant I had to wear my glasses so I didn't get the oil on my contact lenses. I didn't know how long it would take for the film to subside but I knew I didn't want to oil up my lenses. Luckily I didn't have to go anywhere the next day.
Since then, I do it whenever I need to soothe my eyes, when they get red or feel too irritated from my contacts. I always try for a time when I'll be able to wear my glasses for at least 24 hours.
I still have dry eyes but when I use the coconut oil, it is very soothing. I'm not sure if using the oil more often would eventually "cure" me of dry eyes. Maybe if I didn't rely so much on my contact lenses.
