Top Natural Remedies for Dry Eyes - Internal and External Applications

Hi - I had gradually worsening dry eyes due to lots of computer time and, I realize, worsening circulation despite exercising vigorously on a daily basis. I did oil pulling in the summer and it helped some, but then tried acupunture this fall for general wellness (after a marathon) and alas! Dry eyes became significantly better, along with circulation in extremities. I cannot speak more highly to the benefits of acupunture. Do yourself a favor and try it out in 2011!

Hi Cat, did you have conjunctivitis or pink eye before taking Coconut oil? I'm struggling with pink eye because of demodex mites in my lashes (very hard to get rid of) so I got mild blepharitis, conjunctivitis and dry eye. Had this for about 3 years now. If that coconut old made your whites look better - I need that stuff too! I've started taking sea-buckthorn oil 1 tbsp 2x but no visible change after about a week. I also put a homemade 20% tea tree oil ointment based on petroleum jelly castor oil sea-buckthorn oil. Still get very pink eye in the morning probably because of inflammation from the ointment. It gets a bit better during the day though. Any advice appreciated.

Can you use the castor oil that you buy at walgreens?

Another cure for dry eyes. I was telling someone recently about how many supplements I take for dry eyes, they felt like that was way too many supplements. Well it was suggested that I stop all of it and just try taking 5- 8 teaspoons of Organic virgin Coconut Oil throughout the day. Well I decided I would try it because I really do not want to take so many supplements. I cannot believe it but it really works! Plus it made whites of eyes super white and my skin feels super soft too I also decreased my caloric intake to make sure I did not gain weight, but I think Organic Virgin Coconut oil kills your appetite because I've lost a couple pounds.

Kat, regarding your intense itching, if you are using hair conditioner with behentrimonium methosulfate and/or cetearyl alcohol, that may be the culprit. Both are considered harmless, but I developed a reaction to them (not sure which one because they are often a combined ingredient in formulations) and would itch so badly and have the feeling of tiny bugs crawling all over me - especially my legs. This went on for about 2 years, and I only discovered the culprit by accident. I am a visitor on this website and may not return, but I hope this will help you and anyone else. That feeling of something crawling all over you and the intense itching can make you feel like you're going crazy, and it doesn't help that it interferes greatly with sleep. By the way, my symptoms started when I was 40, and I discovered the source as I said by accident at 42. Best of luck to you!

Zack, I still put castor oil on my lids because it makes my eyelashes longer and softens my skin, but I cannot tolerate castor oil directly in my eyes. Another thing I've noticed is that all green teas are not created equal some brands work better. I happened to stumble across the combination of the things that worked for me. I also forgot to mention that I take L-CARNOSINE and I snack on honey sesame almonds as a snack from T. Joes's and I think that has also helped. I used to buy my vitamins at the vitamin store, but I found it substantially cheaper to buy
On-line and have it shipped to me. I use the very safe website of A_ and they have Super Saver Shipping which is free shipping if you spend over $25.

To Cat from Lax - Are you still putting the castor oil on your lids or did you stop doing that? Which supplements are you still taking and which did you stop because they were unnecessary, if any? In other words what seems to be the thing or combination that cured your dry eyes? How long did you do each thing before noticing results? Thanks!

I want to thank everyone for their comments, I finally cured my dry eye problem. I started drinking green tea 3-4 times a day as Ted noted. I alkalized twice a day (morning and night)Since putting castor oil directly into my eyes was drying them out and making my eyes worse, I decided to start using castor oil on my eyelids while taking a warm steamy shower in the evening, which I believed help the oil penetrate into my eyes and did not cause any adverse effects. I also started taking D3 soft gel 6000 I. U. a day, high potency LIQUID magnesium soft gel 500mg , 10 mg of DHEA ( women take 10 mg and men take 25 mg ) and I started taking 1 tablespoon of black strap molasses daily for my anemia. After years of suffering with dry eyes I finally found the cure. Now the whites of my eyes are clear and bright white. I believe my eyes are still slowly healing from years of scar tissue build up due to to dry eyes. I read that castor oil dissolves scar tissue so I believe the damage is reversible. Although I once heard a doctor say it is not but, I believe I'm seeing the full healing take place right before my eyes. I sincerely hope this helps someone else to end the dry eye problem.

Also warned me of ACANTOAM went over not to put water in your eyes due to I think she said Cantoamboea 'm finally after five years of severe dry eyes. I started drinking green tea three times a day, and started taking D3 and magneusuim. And when I showered in the evening I put castor oil on my eyelids and let the steam in the shower to soak it into the eyelids.

This is just a word of caution I would like to add here just in case you encounter this problem I went to my ophthalmologist. I had an on-going dry eye problem last week and I went to the doctor and they wanted to plug the other two tear ducts plus another round of medication. I declined. Anyhow I told the doctor that I was putting sterilized distilled water in my eyes at night since I'm allergic to practically every eye drop. Anyhow, she warned me to STOP IT right away even though the water is sterilized she said the water could be carrying Acanthoamoeba and she checked my eyes to see I had it and I did not! Apparently "there is a water and soil-born parasite Acanthamoeba is more prevalent than most ophthalmologists think. "Amoeba are very common organisms, they are all over the globe, in fact they're one of the original life forms" drug don't work against the parasite so the problem persists and if it goes untreated, patients can lose their eyesight. "This is a kind of amoeba that has the characteristic of forming a cyst or shell around it so it can hide from predators or destruction, and can be very difficult to kill. "

The amoeba is extremely difficult to identify, but according to researchers doctors have the best chance at diagnosing the amoeba as the source of an eye infection " Anyhow I wanted to post this just in case.

Thanks Elsie (from Perth)! I've been using a drop or two of organic castor oil (from the health food store) in my incredibly dry eyes and this is the first time in years that I haven't had problems removing my hard/gas permeable contact lenses. I usually put a couple of drops in each eye right before bed. Most of it runs out of my eye but, because it's so viscous, it tends to coat the eyeball. My whites aren't whiter yet but I'm hoping they'll be soon. In the meantime, I'm enjoying not having the dry, scratchy and gritty feeling I've had to put up with for so long. Thanks again!

Jhol, Did your eyes happen to burn when you put your contacts in the next day? I am using castor oil on my frown lines and got it in my eye when I massaged it in. It was ok but when I put my contacts in the next morning.. Yoweee, it burned! Only lasted a minute or two.. I was just curious.

Cat: You didn't say if you tried any or all of the remedies here? Http://www.earthclinic.com/cures/dry_eyes.html
Try the cheapest and likely quickest acting first. That would be the castor oil and the Lugols. Tears from the lacrimal ducts have 3 components--an aqueous, a mucus, and a lipid (fatty acid). So the aqueous is the immediate wetter, but the lipid and mucus are to prevent the surface from drying out in exposure of more than a few seconds.

Try using castor oil in your eyes. I know it sounds a bit weird, but it is very soothing. I will use it at night after wearing contact lenses all day. It is very comforting and healing. Just a drop or two is all you need. You can buy it at drug stores or about anywhere. Best wishes to you.

I'm fourty and I've been a vegetarian for 30 years
(I'm female 5'6 107 Indian/Indus valley AB and my period are every 22 days ) I've been suffering from dry eyes, thirst, and itchy skin ( there was a time when I couldn't even stand the sheets on my body. The doctor said that it was a bad winter. I recently started taking 10000 Mcg B-12 and I have noticed a dramatic decrease in itching! Prior to that I had to wear a serious oinment 2x a day morning /night, I also get acne monthly usually on my chin and menstrual migraines accompanied with vomiting and nausea so I usually at least drink juice during this time to keep some energy. Anyhow this started 6 months ago. The tests taken for diabetes, sojgrens, auto immune and liver diesease all have been negative. I was diagnosed with anemia, so I'm taking iron and drinking chlorophyll drink. I think I'm perimenopausal. The popular eye drop prescribed burned by eyes badly due to the preservatives. Even the chemical used at the opthamologist office burns my eyes and make them sore for a few days. I can use natural eye drops preservative free drops seem okay but it makes my eyes seem drier later in the day. My doctor suggested the tear punctual plugs in my lower tear ducts, tried it and it did not help. I just recently increased flaxseed oil cold pressed to three tablesoons a day and I do warm compresses on my eyes for some relief. The doctor suggested an eye gel with petroleum mineral oil for nights that only irritated my eyes and caused them to swell. But I have now run out of idea... I feel desperate because I'm aware of the dryness, and that scratchy gritty feeling and the eye discomfort wakes me up at night.

To Marty from Nashville, Tennessee

I would also suggest applying castor oil to your eyes at night before bed. I wrote a thing about it above. I apply two drops in each eye before bed. My eyes never water anymore or sting. The whites are also much much whiter and the blue is much brighter. This happened after about 2 days :)

Elise

I have been struggling with dry eyes all my life. I have always found that if the air is a little too cold or windy, my eyes immediately begin to water uncontrollably. I tend to wear mascara and eyeliner etc, so I would always have black under my eyes which was also rather embarrassing. I would also find my eyes would get red and start stinging in these situations. I heard about people putting a couple of drops of castor oil into each eye before going to bed. I tried this myself. The first couple of nights it can sting a little, but disappears when your eyes are closed. After about a week, my problem disappeared. It also made THE WHITES OF MY EYES WHITER, AND THE BLUE MUCH BRIGHTER! ! ! My eyes now look like my 1 year olds pure, sparkling eyes! Fabulous! My EYELASHES ALSO GREW THICKER AND LONGER within that week. Your eyes naturally have an oil layer. This helps nourish that layer of the eye. You can buy eye drops that are very costly, but the main ingredient in them is castor oil anyway. Save yourself some money and buy castor oil!

Fish OIL make me feel much better by the next day. I took 1200 mg before going to bed that night and 2400 mg (2 cap of 1200 mg) the next morning,so far no dry eyes, Thank you all for the information!

Hurray for this website!!! I have been bothered by "Dry Eyes" for YEARS! Yesterday I happened upon your oil pulling remedy and figured "oh, well, it can't hurt to try". I used the only oil I had on had which was a homemade blend I make for my skin of sweet almond and grapeseed. Within 20 minutes of using the treatment you suggested I was SHOCKED to feel relief from it. I have been using over the counter eye drops all day long everyday for years. Yesterday after your remedy I didn't use any and I still haven't used any in over 24 hours!!! Thank you!!! Talk about FAST RELIEF!! I am thrilled!

Dry Mouth & Dry Eyes Help

My problems with dry mouth started when I began taking an anti depressant. It only affected me when I would lie down to sleep. The dryness was so bad that it was seriously interfering with my sleep. I do not like the idea of taking things with sugar, sugar substitutes or any kinds of chemicals and putting them into my mouth to stop the dryness, tho when I did give in and try some OTC products, they didn't help much. What has helped dramatically with dry mouth has been fennel seed, organic. Right before bed I take about 1/2 tsp. and chew it a little to soften it, then use my tongue to tuck the seeds under my upper & lower lip, between there & the teeth. The flavonoids in the fennel causes me to salivate, but not to a bothersome extent. Sometimes the little seeds fall down onto my tongue at night, but that doesn't hurt anything & I never have come close to choking. Works every time!

For dry eyes, I noticed one commercial product had castor oil in it, & some kind of chemical. Every night before I got to bed I wet my finger with castor oil, not so that it is dripping wet. Then I rub the inner side of the lower lids with the oil, close my eyes & roll my eyes around. It helps a ton!

Hien from Houston writes: 5 parts of water, 2 parts of honey and 1 part of apple cider vinegar. Do you put this in your eye or swallow it?

Regarding dry eye, I have used the honey, vineger and grape juice treatment and it has helped, no particular proportions. I find that when I eat seafood I do not suffer as much from dry eye. In addition, when I wake up with dry eye I do not open my eyes immediately. Instead I palm, meaning I cover both eyes with my hands cupped so I do not put pressure on my eyes. Then I continue to palm( read the Bates Method for improving vision) Soon I can open my eyes without pain. During the day I palm as much as possible. The other thing that helps is to blink frequently which lubricates the eyes. (also Bates) I do exaggerated blinking before I go to sleep, maybe thirty at a time a few times at least. I try to blink more during the day also. Is it possible that our low fat diets along with staring at the computer has caused much of this dry eye? Perhaps that is why the fish oil is noted as a help. Hard to know which of the above helps the most.

Dry Mouth Dry Eye cures: I use potassium iodide :Lugol's solution for all dryness in the body, vaginal dryness,dry eyes, dry nose,dry mouth.It is excellent as anti septic, anti biotic ati viral etc. 3 drops 1-3% lugol's in juice or water 2x/daily

I read on the site about people oil pulling related to their dry eyes. What exactly is oil pulling. I really need some help. Thanks

EC: A fast and easy way to find information is to type "Oil Pulling" into our search box!

https://www.earthclinic.com/remedies/oil_pulling.html

5 parts of water 2 parts of honey and 1 part of apple cider vinegar. I had sandy, red eyes i went to see three eyes doctor, after 4 times seeing them they all gave me antibiotic and said i have eyes infection and dry. I keep using the antibiotic but i can tell not getting better, last night look online and found this lady has the same problem like mine, she gave out this home remedy, i use it since last night and this morning i feel much better, i went back to the site trying to say thank you, but i could not find it ,well thank you if you happen to get on this site. Hien Hoang

I recently got new contact lenses, and my eyes had been feeling dry. I tried preservative-free lubricating eye drops, but all that did was mess up my eye makeup. After reading up on home remedies for dry eyes, I thought I'd try fish oil and see if it would cure the problem. I took 2,000 mg. a day. After a week, my eyes felt so much better! Even before the week was over, I was noticing a difference. My contact lenses were drying my eyes out something awful. I just wanted to close my eyes all the time. If I had not found this website and read up on fish oil and tried it out, my eyes would still be bugging me. I cannot thank you enough for listing this as a remedy.

I suffer from allergies and asthma, and have to use artificial tears for dry, scratchy eyes due to the high pollen count here. The tears seem addicting ... the more you use ... the more you need. I haven't been able to get off of them. I read your comment yesterday, and bought some Fish Oil. I took two 1,000 mg capsules yesterday and this morning my eyes felt more lubricated than they have since I was a teenager. Thanks for the scoop! I will keep up the Fish Oil. I'm sure it will offer more benefits for me other than being able to ditch my "tears."

you might also try taking a fish oil supplement. or cod liver oil. i've read that really helps with this.

I have chronic dry eye- it really stinks. I seem to have itchy eyes all the time, discharge when I wake up, and wearing my contacts all day is near impossible. I'm pretty sure wearing contacts for the last 10 years has done a number on my eyes and the lubrication. To help calm to itchiness I wash my eyes with a tiny bit of baby shampoo in the shower each day. Oil pulling also helps keep my eyes more lubricated so that my contacts don't get cloudy and stuff.. It seems to be helping so far- I'm about 3 days in. Try it!

About five years ago I started having really dry, tired eyes. Around 3:00 every afternoon I would think I was really tired, but then would realize it was just my eyes- my body was fine. I also started to notice if I woke up in the middle of the night that I couldn't open my eyes for a little while because they were stuck shut! And I didn't have any more sleep granules in the corners of my eyes in the morning upon awakening. Then somehow I came upon Fish Oil and started taking it- and it worked very quickly. It was probably only a week or so, and I really noticed the change. Ever since I take one or two 1000 mg fish oils per day, which seems to keep me good. I did try to stop for a while, and sure enough, after a week or so the dryness returned- so I know it works for me.

If I eat too much sugar (candy, sweets, etc) I can expect to have dry eyes when I wake up the next morning. I have been using oil pulling for around 3 years now off and on. I have been able to use the oil pulling to eliminate the dry eyes and it does so quickly. It seems that it also helps clear the sugar from my system faster. I have used olive oil and sunflower oil. Olive oil does work but sunflower does seem to be better. Oil pulling has helped with several other things also. I use 2 teaspoons (1 Tablespoon was too much for me). I follow the recommended procedure and rinse w/ peroxide/water mixed 50/50.