Activated Charcoal
Doctors Agatha and Calvin Thrash in their book "Natural Remedies"
1. Charcoal poultices should be applied overnight. Mix powdered charcoal with water sufficient to make a thick paste and spread it over a piece of flannel or muslin larger than the inflamed area of the eye. Place this over the eye. Cover with a piece of plastic or similar material and hold in place with an ace bandage wrapped lightly around the head. The bandage should not be so tight that it puts pressure on the eyeballs, but it must be snug enough to hold the compress in place overnight. Remove it in the morning, and dispose of the compress in a manner to avoid spreading the infection.
2. Charcoal slurry water eye drops may be used during the day. To make the drops boil one cup of water with one-fourth teaspoon salt (suggest Real Salt, celtic, sea salt as better than table salt) and one teaspoon powdered charcoal. When cool, strain through several layers of cheesecloth. Using a dropper, put four or five drops of the clear fluid in the affected eye every two hours.
An village with 1,000 people in Papua New Guinea had members in most families infected. They found this remedy 10 times more effective than antibiotics. A relative registered nurse suggests this to us family members.
(Michelbach-le-bas, France)
01/29/2010
When on holidays in Tunisia I found out that the charcoal Arab and Indian women use inside their eyes is not only because it is beautiful but also against eye disease. As at the time I often had itchy eyes I decided to try and it worked, within a few minutes I felt a lot better. The only thing is that I don't manage to keep my eyes clean as it runs a bit and it makes my eyes rather black underneath. I don't know if this happens because I wear contact lenses.... Someone told me that in India you see a lot of children whose eyes are very black because the mothers use this on them in order to prevent illnesses. I wish I could have the line stay nicely all day like those women do but I have asked advice a few times and I never quite understand how they do it. I suppose that it will work for pink eye as well, in women of course.
(Westminster, Co)
06/26/2013
First time having this and I must say, it is aweful. I have bought the charcoal for the remedies you mention but have two questions.
1. My slurry is not clear. It's still black after several times through the cheesecloth. Is this okay?
2. For the poultices, does the paste wrapped in flannel go directly on the closed eyes? And then the plastic on the otherside, or as a barrier between flannel and eye?
Thank you for your clarification and help.
(Middle, Tennessee, Usa)
06/27/2013
Dear Holly, I use a coffee filter to strain my charcoal water. I put 1 t. charcoal in 1/4 cup of filtered water and strain it through a filter. It is gray and may have very tiny particles that are okay. I think cheesecloth would let through particles that are too large. They probably wouldn't be harmful, just irritating.
Also, for the poultice... Your eye is closed. Then paper towel or flannel. Then moistened charcoal. Then the plastic wrap to keep the moisture in. But you probably don't need the plastic wrap unless you are doing this overnight.
For conjunctivitis, we have always just done the filtered charcoal water 3-4 times a day. Children are usually cured in a day and adults in a couple of days. But do it a couple of a times a day for a few days after and always do both eyes to prevent reinfection.
~Mama to Many~
ACV, Green Tea Bags, Honey

I have been in extreme pain due to pink eye for the fourth day. The eyes themselves as well as the lids and skin around the eye are extremely affected. I started on the first day with antibiotic eye drops from the pharmacy. I used these for about a day and a half. It got even worse with these drops, it was so bad that the seeping from my eyes was orange in colour. My eyeballs were dark red... I realized that this was not working and so I bought Visine 8 symptom eye relief drops as well as a Visine antihistamine drop. I used these for the next two days with no relief except that my eyes stopped with the orange/reddish mucus seeping. But the lids and the skin around my eye were still burning with pain and I had huge sacks of liquid forming under my eyes.
I tried cool wash cloths, warm wash cloths and putting a aloe skin softener on but all of these gave me very brief periods of relief.
This morning my eyes were almost completely swollen closed and stuck shut. I was crying because of the pain. I called to speak to a pharmacist but he was not available so that's when I googled home remedies for pink eye. Holy cow am I glad I did!!!
1. First I took a cotton pad and dipped it into Apple Cider Vinegar and pressed them onto the eye so that the ACV ran into my eye. I could feel relief immediately But not for all the symptoms I was having.
2. Then I put green tea bags (which I had boiled in a cup of water and then put them in the freezer to cool) onto each eye and let the liquid run into my eyes. I did this until the tea bags weren't cold anymore. I found this to be a big relief as well.
3. Then I dipped Qtips into liquid honey and put that onto my eyelids and lashes and the skin around my eyes. This helped a lot too. It is now about 2 1/2 hours later and I can feel the sand in the eye and the burning just starting to come back. I will now repeat all three things.
I cannot even express how much this has all helped!! Unbelievable!!!! From going completely crazy in pain to almost pain free in 3 simple steps!! Thanks to everyone who posted on each of these 3 remedies!! I will continue with these remedies and post again in a day or two with the results.
(Illinois)
11/06/2018

This works! I took a makeup remover pad, cut it in half and soaked the half in this wonderful remedy and applied it to my eye for about 10min every 4hrs. I had to do this approx 4 times but I noticed relief after only 2x. Totally gone in one day with NO dr visit/antibiotics. Thanks!
Apple Cide Vinegar

Having read through these pages a week ago and then again today I will offer a different opinion to what a lot of other people have said here. In particular I am wary of claims here that conjunctivits had been cured in "hours or days" due to the use of ACV.
I am on day 14 of acute keratoconjunctivitis (this is the viral version). It is now (very) slowly improving and the symptoms are starting to go away including the red eyes. I was told by the ophthalmologist that it will take a number of weeks for me to fully recover and as it is a virus like the common cold there is no cure for it, is is just a case of waiting for it to run it's course whilst trying to maintain comfort as much as possible.
Anyway, one week ago ago when my conjunctivitis was in full swing and I was more naive about such matters... I found this site and the claims that ACV with the mother was having positive effects on dealing with conjunctivitis. With an open mind I obtained a bottle and used it diluted but still with a bit of a sting, on my eyes, 3 - 4 times a day. I repeated this for about 5 - 6 days with the aim of the reduction of the red eye symptons and of some pain in my eyes. After a number of days it became obvious the ACV was not doing anything positive and so having seen no effect whatsoever I stopped use.
Thinking about it now I am not sure from a biological / medicine point of view what specifically in ACV is supposed to do to be effective against conjunctivitis. I am assuming its antibacterial proerties are considered to have a role in this... but would something with antibacterial properties help kill a virus?? I am aware of the very real health benefits of plants and so called alternative medicines and I will use them 100% every time in favour of modern medicine IF they provide me with benefits. However of all these people claiming ACV works, they can't all be wrong ... so I guess what works for one particular set of symptoms will not work for another similar but different set of symptons.
If you have conjunctivits I would suggest that you go and insist on seeing an OPHTHALMOLOGIST and insist on getting your eyes checked properly. In my case I first went to see a nurse at my local doctor surgery who was dismissive and not especially helpful. Then two days later when the symptons were significantly worse I went to see a doctor. The doctor was slightly more helpful but did not have the specialist tools or knowledge to make a particularly useful diagnosis other than a general comment about using eyedrops and it will go away after a few days.
It was only after I saw an ophthalmologist at the eye casualty and quite detailed study of my eyes that I was properly diagnosed with the problem that was one of the reasons I tried the ACV solution in the first place: I had as part of the conjunctivitis a "pseudomembrane" develop on all 4 of my inner lids and it was this that was causing excruciating pain when my eyes were closed for more than a few seconds. Anasthetic was dripped into my lids and each of these 4 pseudomembranes was surgically removed there and then. I was told to continue using liquid gel tablets as well as some anti viral eyedrops which I have already been using... I am told this will help with the keeping eyes closed and therefore sleeping, the other symptons of conjunctivitis will improve over time.
So.. that is my story. Feel free to try ACV anyway, it might work for you, it might not. Maybe you don't even have conjunctivitis after all, just a couple of the symptoms of it!
Apple Cider Vinegar, Cabbage Leaves

Hi new friends,
Recently after days of air conditioned air I had a flareup of red eye which I had suffered from greatly in the past. It was progressively worsening.
On last Wed. Evening I was all but bleeding from swollen blood shot eyes. My vison has never been affected except trying to see through the sore, swollen, weeping awful looking stringy mess.
I read what you said Ted, about the body making alkalinity to address acidity. My tears were at 9ph. I tried a 7ph ACV/BS mix and it was soothing but didn't help the swelling.
I started and continue to drink 1 TBSP of ACV in water every 2-3 hours and included celery juice. I added a garlic remedy to it.
I crumpled a cabbage leaf in water for eye wash. It was 7ph and perfectly soothing. The swelling began to decline. I put two cabbage fresh leaves on my eyes under my linen sleep mask for two nights.
They are GETTING WELL. Tonight I went out in public and no one knew my former travail.
ACV and CABBAGE- who knew?
Thank you God and Thank you Ted and new friends
ellie
Apple Cider Vinegar, Coconut Oil, Green Tea

I'm so thankful for this site. Last night at 1:30am, I woke up with a sharp stinging inner eyelid and large globs of yellow mucous seeping out of my eye. I found a couple of websites that stated natural remedies, so I combined them all. I boiled a cup of filtered water, steeped loose green tea leaves for 3 minutes, strained it, added about 2 tablespoons of organic ACV with mother, and constantly applied it to my eyes with cotton pads and swabs until I felt like it was a complete rinse. After the rinse, I applied organic coconut oil with a clean cotton swab to both eyes as a moisturizer and a salve. I went to bed at 3:30 with no more sharp pain in my eyes. In the morning, I woke up with very little yellow mucous. I am will repeat this rinse again because I'm only about 90% better, but one of those 3 cures (green tea, ACV, and organic coconut oil), if not all, began the healing of my eye pretty immediately.
Apple Cider Vinegar, Green Tea Bags

Thank you1 Ran to Rite Aid to purchase homeopathic remedy. Once aplied, did not seem to help but aggregated my swollen under eye and began turning black and blue. Remembered I had colloidal silver, applied but after a few application new pain developed and oozing. Finally I remembered EARTH CLINIC...great advise.
Used both the Apple cider vinegar with mother as often as possible with the green tea bag soak for pain. This came on by Christmas Dinner and ended by Day after Christmas lunch. Truly great....keep up the authentic healing!
Apple Cider Vinegar, Honey

ACV works! I have had the most severe, persistent case of viral conjunctivitis/dry eye for probably over a year now. Anyone who's had it knows that it is a real pain to cure, and comes back VERY easily. I've been to the eye doctor twice in this time and had tests to make sure it's viral, not bacterial, and every time he's said it pretty much amounts to dry eye. And he's prescribed me an exorbitantly expensive, teeny tiny bottle of medication. It worked during the time it was prescribed, but as soon as I'd stop using it, the dry eye would come back full force. This most recent time it has been particularly stubborn. My doctor's gentle approach of "let it cure itself, and use cold/warm compresses and natural tears" was not at all working. I'd tried all that, and other over-the-counter eye drops for "persistent dry eye" and, I swear to you, none of it worked. The one red eye would NOT got away. SO frustrating. And I can't afford to drop tons of money on tiny bottles of medication that I probably shouldn't be using permanently anyway.
So yesterday I tried this: 5 parts water, 2 parts honey (best grade), and 1 part pure apple cider vinegar. I mixed it up, put it in an eyedropper, and started using it every few hours or so (more or less). Always, when I first put it in, it burns quite a bit and my eye waters uncontrollably, and then a minute later there's a noticeable difference. My eye gets whiter. I did it one last time before bed last night and when I woke up, there was much less redness. At the end of today (I've been using it a little less because I didn't need it as much), there is hardly ANY redness. Mind you, my results were not as instantaneous as some other people's, so I had to keep trying. But I am so pleased and can't believe something has finally worked! Yes!
Apple Cider Vinegar, Sea Salt

Yea for Apple Cider Vinegar and Sea Salt as remedies for Pink Eye. Did 1.5 days using the ACV method and then 1.5 days doing the sea salt treatment as it stung less than the ACV. Completely cleared up the pink eye.
Baby Shampoo

When my daughter was young I read in a home remedy book to mix 1 part baby shampoo to 10 parts warm water. Use a cotton ball to clean outside of eye to remove mucus from lashes, then numerous times each day wash eye with same solution, warm is easier on the eye. It worked on my daughter each time. We now use it for the grandchildren when the need arises.
(Warrenville, Il)
05/02/2011

Baby shampoo is the best! The trick is to keep using it twice a day until you are sure the pink eye is gone, usually about 3-4 days. I just pour it on my fingertips, lather them up with a bit of water and rub the closed eyes with the shampoo. I always try to open my eyes just a teeny bit so the shampoo can get in there. It doesn't hurt or burn at all. Afterward, rinse well and dry. Sometimes I follow it with coconut oil (usually only at night though) rubbed onto my closed eyes.
(Maui, Hi)
03/14/2012

Warning
Warning! Baby shampoo, even the best no tears shampoo, contains SLS, sodium lauryl sulfate. And its HORRIBLE for you, expecially for a child's developing eyes. It can cause permanant eye damage, and liver toxicity. Google it! And spread the word, because they put that stuff in all baby shampoo. IT CAUSES PERMANANT EYE DAMAGE! In baby shampoo. So horrible. Please find another remedy!
Bathed in Cool Water With Cotton Wool

I learned how to treat red eyes when my children were babies and I was living in Holland. Just take a piece of cotton wool, wet it in boiled, cooled water and with the eye closed wash it from de outside to the inside. Do this a couple of times every time using a clean piece of cotton wool. It worked for them every time and it has worked for me over the years as well. Usually doing this one or two times was enough.
EC: For those of us wondering what cotton wool is...
"Linters are traditionally used in the manufacture of paper and as a raw material in the manufacture of cellulose. In the UK, linters are referred to as "cotton wool". This can also be a refined product (absorbent cotton in U.S. usage) which has medical, cosmetic and many other practical uses. The first medical use of cotton wool was by Dr Joseph Sampson Gamgee at the Queen's Hospital (later the General Hospital) in Birmingham, England"
Source:
(Cambridge, Ma)
06/28/2011

Black Tea and Salt Water

Black tea and salt water cured my conjunctivitis.
Yesterday I woke up with a really itchy, bloodshot left eye and it got worse throughout the day. Then, this morning I woke up and my eye was all gooey, stuck together, swollen, and red. I never go to the doctor, even though my husband has great insurance, because I know all they do is prescribe antibiotics or some other pills from a laboratory and I do not want to mess up my body chemistry. So, naturally, I went to Earthclinic instead. First, I brewed two black tea bags in 1 1/2 cups of hot water. Meanwhile, I decided to try rinsing my eye with a concentrated solution of sea salt in warm water. I did not measure it, but it was quite a salty concoction. I used an eyedropper and put a few drops in my eye. It stung a lot, but I felt like it was working. Next, I used the eyedropper to drop warm black tea in my eye and it was SO soothing. It took all the stinging away! I then laid down and put the tea bag over my eye. Whenever it would cool down, I would put it back in the warm tea and put the other on on my eye. I repeated this procedure until the tea was cooled down. After that, I fell asleep again for an hour or so and when I woke up my eye felt and looked almost back to normal. Thanks Earthclinic!
Black Tea Bag

Hot Tea Bag for Pink Eye
Howdy all, I have been using Earthclinic cures for 8 years, maybe more. I started with the teabags for pink eye. My children were youngsters then and had frequent pink eye bouts. It seems that its the heat from the tea bag compresses that kills the virus in the eyes. It needs to be hot but you want to be careful about burning the sensitive skin. I use the compresses 5-8x daily and use a new tea bag each time. We havnt had to get a prescription since finding this cure.
Blessings. I have pink eye right now lol and yup hot tea bags are my cure.
Black Tea Bag

I woke up a couple of days ago with a case of pink eye that had come on board during another infection, involving sore throat, dry cough, raspy voice, body aches. It mainly affected my right eye, but some in the left, too. Really red, with profuse slimy discharge. I let it go a day to see if it would clear up, but it was just getting worse.
Suddenly, a light bulb came on to check EarthClinic for some remedies. At first I tried ACV mixed with water, which burned and seemed worse after a few hours. Then I tried colloidal silver, which gave no improvement after several hours. Then I tried organic peony white tea (because it's a type of green tea - young leaves), with no effect and it seemed even worse again. FINALLY, I tried black tea, the round tea bags, and there was almost instant relief and some clearing of redness over a few hours.
After the second application last night before bed, today it's gone in my left eye and practically gone in my right eye. I just did another application on both eyes and will likely do a couple more, to ensure it stays gone. It was easy and painless. Just like making a cup of tea, only I put the cooled teabag on my right eye, after squeezing some drops from it into my left. For subsequent applications, I used the cold tea in the cup, with clean cotton balls, squeezing drops in each eye, and cleaning my eyelashes and surrounding eye area with the tea soaked cotton balls. I'm grateful and my vision is still good--maybe a touch better. :) Thank you EarthClinic and everyone who has posted their experience here in order to help others. It worked!
Black Tea Bag

Thank you so much for the black teabag remedy for pink eye. It has helped me so much. I simply boiled a tea bag in some water let it cool until it was warmish. Put a Cotton wool in it and cleaned my sons eye with it about every hour until the redness reduced in both eyes. And it's working so well. He's almost 2 and I needed something quick and natural to soothe his eyes. Thank you!!
Black Tea Bag

For several days my left eye had been irritated and discharging a sticky mucus which coated the lashes, and only made the irritation worse. I had tried just rinsing the eye well with warm water, which provided temporary relief, but did not cure the problem. Then I remembered something that the man who taught me the old ways had taught me about medicine, and tried using strong tea as an eyewash. The easiest way, he had told me, was to brew yourself a cup of tea using a cheap regular black or brown tea. When the cup is brewed, take out the teabag, but do not squeeze the water out. While you enjoy your tea, let the teabag cool down until it is just barely warm, then place the teabag on the afflicted eye, and gently squeeze it whill slightly blinking the eye so that the tea gets right onto the eyeball itself, as well as the lids. Wipe the excess that runs down your face with a paper towel or cloth. Do this every time it feels at all irritated, and in a day or two the problem will clear up. I did exactly that, and it works very well. It is a cheap, painless, and effective cure.